Second Chances
by cherryflowerblossoms
Summary: Sometimes dreams don't work out in reality, but one dream's end doesn't mean you wont get a second chance to get it right. Sakura finds herself with a companion she would've never expected. It seems what her heart wants isn't the only thing that has changed over the years. Post-The Last. AUish pre-Gaiden. (KakaSaku) -don't like, don't read. Rated T for now.
1. The Blossom and The Redeemer Part

**I do not own Naruto or any of the places, people, or original concepts therein. These are owned by Kishimoto. This writing is for the express purpose of fanfiction. I do not make any money off of this. I do, however, own the plot and any new characters that I may decide to throw in.**

 **That is that. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **Where The Blossom And The Redeemer Part**

* * *

The room was filled with shadows. Only the light emitted from the tiny sliver of a moon allowed for her to see him. He was seated against the wall with his face turned to the single window. His expression appeared to hold no hint at his inner thoughts, but then he had always been a master at keeping his feelings locked within. For those who knew him as well as she did, there were subtitle clues. Like the minuscule downward tilt at the corner of his mouth.

"Sasuke," she broke the silence that had stretch since she had made her announcement.

"I know," he spoke his voice even.

"I'm sorry," she sighed as she fought to hold back the lump rising in her throat.

"I know," he spoke, "So am I." After a pause, he turned to look at her. There was a glimmer in his dark orbs that made her heart clench.

She lost her fight as a strangled sob escaped her mouth. Hands raising, she buried her face into them her as the sobs began to shake her petite frame. She heard his cloak shifting, followed by the sound of his boots padding quietly across the wooden floor. He was ever graceful even now in this moment of their torn lives and crushed dreams.

The bed springs creaked as he sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shaking frame. "Shh," his deep voice shushed her as she fell into his chest. His hand rose to comb through her pink strands. "It's okay, Sakura. It's going to be okay."

The next morning Sakura woke in Sasuke's arms for the first time in years. He was already awake. When she tightened her hold on his cloak, he returned it just as firmly. This would be the last time they would be like this.

She breathed in his smell, taking in his wood smoke scent and cataloging it to her memory. He seemed to be doing the same as he placed a lingering kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you," she said with a matter-of-fact tone that left no room for doubt. In truth, she always would.

"I know," he sighed as they leaned away from their embrace. He wiped a dried tear trail from her cheek before two fingers rose to lightly poke her forehead. A humored snort left her and his mouth quirked slightly. There was a time when such a smirk would've dazzled her, taken her breath away. Now there was only a sorrowful pain in her chest. An expression fleeting as his face became somber once more as he searched her features, "I do love you." It was a statement, a fact.

She had never doubted that fact, even if he had only said the words twice before, when he asked her to marry him and after Sarada was born. That had been the first time she had taken this mission to meet up with Sasuke to exchange information he had learned and give new orders. Her smile turned bittersweet, "I know."

They got ready in silence, but it wasn't the heavy silence filled with dread and hidden emotions. Everything had been brought out of the shadows by the light of the Cheshire moon. With dawn came their new beginning and, in other ways, an end.

Bags on their backs, they stood in the room looking out the small window; it was a beautiful day. The storms had finally moved out, taking with them the clouds blocking the sky.

"Explain everything to Sarada," he spoke finally. His shoulders more relaxed than she had seen them in a long time.

"Hai, I will," she nodded. It was what she had been not looking forward too since she had made this decision all those months ago. "She won't understand," her defeated sigh made Sasuke chuckle.

He hadn't met his daughter, but he knew all about her inquisitive and sharp mind, "maybe not right now, but she will. With time." He looked to Sakura catching her gaze, "tell her- tell her I'm sorry. Tell her -" he let out a shaky breath as he faced the window once more.

Sakura heart clenched as she reached to squeeze his shoulder lightly, "I will tell her that her father has been given a very important job, that he is an honorable man and an excellent ninja, and that he loves her very much. The rest can wait until she is older."

The solemn Uchiha released a breath, "Thank you, Sakura."

Outside as they parted ways for the last time, but this time it was Sasuke who watched her back as she faded further away. The legal scroll had been signed and sent back to Konoha by one of his hawks. He looked up to the sky. It was the start of summer and the end of spring. His eyes flicked to the last spot he saw her head of pink. With the close of one chapter, a new one also began. Turning finally to head in the opposite direction, Sasuke couldn't help wondering what this new chapter would bring.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. My first chapter.**

 **Some questions you may have will be answered in the next chapter. I wanted this one to be focused on their emotions. Too many technicalities and details and backstory would have taken away from that.**

 **This story is post-The Last and Sarada has been born. I want her to be old enough to start seeing that Sasuke being gone is odd, but I don't think I want her as old as she is at the start of Gaiden. So I made her 10 years old and in the Academy.**

 **Hope you liked it!**  
 **~cherryflowerblossoms**


	2. The Price Of Acknowledgement

**The Price of Acknowledgement**

* * *

It was two days later that the gates of Konoha loomed on the horizon before her. She was torn. On one hand, things were finally settled, and amicably at that. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that these things were typically anything but... Then again, when had any part of their relationship been anything close to typical?

As she passed the gates, Kotetsu and Izumo gave a nod and wave. "Morning boys," she smiled before quirking a brow. They both were watching her with the strangest expression. Hand on her hip, she dead panned, "Is this where I do a trick?"

Izumo's face turned slightly pink as he quickly averted his eyes, but Kotetsu let out a snort, "Gomen, Sakura-san, but there has been a bit of a rumor going around since a couple days ago."

A bit bewildered and more than a little curious, her arms crossed over her chest, "Is that so?"

Kotetsu nodded as he was practically vibrating with the need to talk about it... Or maybe he needed to lay off the coffee. Either way, now she was curious. "Well?" She asked expectantly.

Izumo cut in, "I don't think it's our place to say." He looked uncertain and a little embarrassed as he caught her gaze before he quickly averted his eyes again.

Now she _really_ had to know. If Ino had decided to spread another bizarre story about what she and Sasuke did or didn't do when she went on these biannual missions, there might just be a training ground to rearrange. "Well, you can't just bring it up and not tell me," she huffed.

Kotetsu practically exploded in a rush of words, "There was word from one of the caretakers up at the falconry that some important looking legal document had arrived with the Uchiha seal on it and instructions to take it straight to the Hokage. That was when it was handed off to one of the Secretaries who apparently overheard Lord Hokage and Hinata-hime mention something about a divorce. And of course since there is only one Uchiha, it was obvious who it was about. Well, this Secretary is friends with a nurse from the hospital, and she said that _she_ heard that Shizune was seen comforting you while Tsunade-sama threatened to cut off a certain Uchiha's, er... Equipment. So, now the whole village is in an up-roar about The Uchiha cheating on you with some geisha's from the Land of Tea... Or maybe it was the Land of Flowers..." He ended his long-winded bout by tapping at his chin as though trying to remember the exact details. "Hm, come to think of it, it might not have been a nurse. Was it one of the childcare girls at the Children's Home? Hmm- oomph! Ow! Izumo, what did you do that for?!"

Izumo glowered at his idiotic best friend, "Could you have a bit more tact?" He hissed as he nodded towards a very wide-eyed Sakura.

Scratching the back of his head, Kotetsu slouched as his demeanor turned remorseful, "I- I'm sorry, Sakura-san. I guess I got carried away. You mean a lot to us all, you know? Most of the villagers and shinobi owe you for saving our lives or the lives of our loved ones. We just don't want to hear that someone could've hurt you."

Sakura blinked as she pulled out of her state of shock. It was quite a tale to be going around and so quickly too. Sighing, she waved it off, "No, it's alright. I'm used to my personal life being a source for gossip at this point." After all, being married to Sasuke had brought with it the curious eyes of the village, most hadn't fully forgotten his past deeds when he was a rouge ninja. Added with the bizarre nature of their marriage, well, she couldn't really blame everyone for the gossip. She mentally shrugged. 'Mine as well set the record straight now.'

"Well, everyone is going to find out soon enough," she began before explaining that: yes, they were getting a divorce; no, neither had cheated or anything like that; but that they had grown apart and the distance hadn't helped. "It was time for us to go our separate ways. We still care about each other, but it doesn't always work out how you thought it would."

With the air cleared and words of condolences given, Sakura headed for the Hokage Tower and tried not to be bothered by the many eyes that followed or the murmuring as she passed. She mentally chided her younger self who desperately wanted to be given recognition. Sometimes it was a bit of a double edged sword.

* * *

 **Well, here is my second chapter. I hope you liked it.**

 **I wanted to establish Sakura's role in the village in the time frame of my story. Being a member of the new three Sanin and healing so many during the war, I felt that the fame of her team and her deeds would have earned her a special place in the heart of the village. I see her as having been viewed as Konoha's Sweetheart. Healing and saving so many would without a doubt garner Sakura a showering of affection from the population.**

 **This image is made more realistic if you think about the fame of the team she was a part of. In a way, Team 7 had been in the public's focus since the beginning with the Last Uchiha and the Kyuubi container being led by the Copy Ninja. If the Naruto world has any sort of fame, Team 7 and, by extension, Team Kakashi, would no doubt have a good amount of it. Consider the original Three Sanin's reputation, I'd imagine it would be the same.**

 **Anyways, this is my "clear the air" chapter. I will be posting the next one soon.**


	3. What's In A Name

**What's In A Name**

* * *

Naruto's expression remained remarkably unreadable as he continued to stare at his desk. He had asked her to tell him what had lead her and Sasuke to this point. He had looked confused and a bit blindsided by it all. She couldn't help feeling like a shity friend for not talking more openly about her martial problems with him, after all Naruto was like a brother to her and Sasuke was his best friend. But she hadn't wanted to break his heart. Naruto really was a romantic in his view of the world sometimes.

She sat patiently in a chair in front of his desk as she waited for him to speak.

Finally he lifted his face to search hers as he asked, "And you are sure he hasn't hurt you?"

Her smile was tender as she nodded, "I am sure."

His brow bunched, as his expression became obviously confused, "And you both still love each other?"

She sighed, "Yes..." Looking out the large window facing the Hokage Mountain, she explained, "Sometimes love is not enough." He began to interject but stopped when she lifted a hand and have him a pointed look, "We love each other, yes. But we are not 'in love' anymore. We've drifted apart, Naruto. We need different things and have different dreams. You can love someone and not be 'in love' with them. And I do love him. It's just as a person now, as one of my special people. Not in the way that you love Hinata, not anymore."

The blonde sat in deep thought for a while. She knew this was hard for him as well. Naruto had always been the biggest supporter of Sasuke and her being together. His brow smoothed as he let out an uncharacteristically tired sigh, "Alright, Sakura-chan. If this is truly what you want."

She nodded, "It's what we both want."

He gave a small nod, before signing the needed spots and giving the document his official seal. He stopped for a moment as he went through the scroll of legal jargon. The furrowing was back between his brows as he looked back to her curious gaze, "Ne, Sakura-chan, have you given any thought to what name you are going to use now? I have to specify in the files if you are keeping your married name or going back to your maiden name."

Her expression slacked. She hadn't even considered it at all. In fact, she hadn't talked about it with Sasuke either. Would he want her to keep his name? What if he met someone? How weird would that be to still have his name then? What if she met someone? She nearly scoffed aloud at the thought. But then, if she went back to Haruno, she wouldn't share the same name as her daughter. How would Sarada feel? She'd be the last Uchiha left in Konoha. Sakura shuddered as he recalled what a burden that could be. Memories of Sasuke in his youth flash through her mind.

Resolved, Sakura made her decision, "I will remain, Uchiha. After all, we are just getting a divorce. We will always be a family with Sarada."

The smile that lit up Naruto's face erased any question she may have still had about her choice. He understood. She wasn't planning to turn her back on Sasuke. Their dynamic would just be changed. What was important is that Sarada be her sole focus. This was what was best for her as well.

As she stepped back into the street, Sakura headed to the Akimichi clan's estate. It was time for her to pick up Sarada. Tonight was not going to be easy, but it had to be done. Hopefully before she hears any of the exaggerated stories going around.

* * *

 **And chapter three!**

 **A short chapter but necessary. Now the story can truly begin.**

 **Next chapter soon. It will be longer. And also, enter Kakashi! Yay!**


	4. Enter The Sixth

**Enter The Sixth**

* * *

Moving through the village, a figure walked with hands in his pockets. Exchanging a friendly nod in response to the many "Good Morning" and "Hello Hokage-sama" greetings that he got as he went along his walk. It was something he had done for so long that he could make the trip blindfolded, or with his nose buried in a gaudy orange book. Nowadays, however, no book was to be seen when Hatake Kakashi roamed about the village. It was a change he had (reluctantly) picked up when he became (i.e. practically thrown into) the role of the Rokudaime, the Sixth Hokage of Konoha.

Now even though he was officially (and unofficially) no longer the acting (or assistant) Hokage, he found that the new change in his habit had stuck. Instead, he looked over the faces of the villagers and took in the much changed scenery of his beloved village. His daily morning walk, however, remained unchanged.

Standing before the cenotaph, Kakashi's dark gray eyes traced over each name carved into its stone face, taking extra time over those he considered his precious people. His gaze played special attention to two names; the names of his Genin teammates. One name, however, held his gaze the longest.

'Obito,' Kakashi sighed though a smile say hidden by his mask. He was glad that Obito had made the right choices in the end. When he first realized what all Obito had done, he was appalled and disgusted. Mostly though, he had been in a state of shock. It had been as though the world was turned on its head to think that his memory of the silly and carefree teammate he had once known had become so twisted with hatred. But in the end, Obito's true nature won over. Kakashi smiled as he looked to a third name.

 _Namikaze Minato_ \- his genin sensei and father figure weighed heavily on his mind since the end of the Fourth War though not in the depressing way he had before. Seeing him again, finally having that sense of closure with the man who had become his father figure and who helped to shape who he grew up to be, it had lifted so much off of Kakashi's shoulders. The heavy burden of grief was finally eased and he found that he was finally able to put the past behind him and start living in the present.

The first course of action he had taken was to try to be for Naruto what he should've been from the start. After all, if Minato and Kushina had lived, Naruto would've been like a younger brother to him. So, Kakashi made it his duty to go that extra mile where Naruto was concerned.

He smirked as he thought about some of his first days as Hokage. Naruto had been so pouty that yet another person was chosen while he was not. Luckily, the little blonde squirt hadn't taken to calling him anything as ridiculous as "grandpa-kage" or some other horrid moniker. No, instead he had taken pleasure in calling Kakashi "Kakashi-sama" and being overly pleased with himself when it gave Kakashi a knee-jerk reaction. The brat.

Chuckling, Kakashi realized that he had been out for longer than he had planned when he heard the distant clangs of kunai from the nearby training fields. Glancing at the sky, he figured it was approaching late morning and decided that grabbing breakfast was something he hadn't had the time to do in quite some time.

* * *

 **So, there you have it. Kakashi has entered the metaphorical building.**

 **Next chapter will have him and Sakura so let the plot begin!**


	5. Kakashi Tries

**Super Duper Actually Important Author's Note:**

 **It has been brought to my attention that some readers may find the first chapter confusing as far as context goes. Though I made note of it in the story description, I want to take this time to clarify: This story takes place _after_ "The Last" but _before_ "Gaiden" begins.**

 **If you are _not_ familiar with the pairings that resulted here, then this story may cause some confusion.**

 **If you are going to read this story there are a few things you need to know so that this story makes any kind of sense at all. So for those who want to know and don't care about a few spoilers her we go. If you do care about spoilers skip the rest of this bold Author's note and hopefully the fact that you don't know whats going on in the setting does bother you because this is set in the time frame it is. I personally don't think it will make that much of a difference in the long run, but to each their own.**

 **SPOILER FOR THE LAST NOW:**

 **!**

 **!**

 **!**

Kakashi become the Sixth Hokage. Naruto and Hinata get together. Sasuke still is a wandering roamer, but finally realizes that Sakura is a cutie.

Okay~ now that that's done. Here is what else you have to know~

 **SPOILER ALERT FOR GAIDEN NOW:**

 **!**

 **!**

 **!**

Sasuke and Sakura get married and have a daughter named Sarada (yes that means salad. No I dont know why they named her salad. ...though Sasuke does love tomatoes... ANY WAYS, Naruto becomes Hokage! Everyone pops out babies. Not gonna list all the pairings here cause holy hell everyone. pops. out. babies. Oh! And Sasuke never sees his daughter. Like Ever. They have not met. Apparently he is on some secret mission and he hasn't even seen Sakura for like 12 years. YUP! So, really my first chapter with Sakura meeting up with Sasuke biannually is completely AU because she hasn't seen hide nor hair of him for 12 years when Gaiden starts. UGH.

 **Mmmkay.**

 **That's pretty much all you need to know about Gaiden because my story is set pre-Gaiden and basically Gaiden never happens.**

 **So~**

 **ON TO THE STORY! Wheee~**

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 **Kakashi Tries**

* * *

Sakura stood on the rebuilt red bridge that Team 7 used to meet up at back when they were genin. She was glad that Yamato had made the old, destroyed bridge's replacement to look exactly like the original. She had a hunch that her then team leader was to thank for that. Aloof as he tried to pretend to be, she'd put money on the fact that Team 7 had wriggled its way into his heart. That and the fact that Kakashi was surprisingly nostalgic for someone who seemed to not care about much at all.

With a slight snort of amusement, Sakura's gaze caught her reflection in the slow moving water beneath. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her hair was messy. Her smile fell. She looked how she felt.

Sighing, she picked up a fallen cherry blossom petal from the railing and swirled it in her fingers. Even though their spilt was mutual, it still hurt. When Sakura had married Sasuke, she had thought that they would be together forever. She had been naive. Sasuke had demons. Demons that didn't just go away. Demons that he couldn't ignore and hope to avoid by swooping into the village and marrying the girl who had loved him from the start. It took them a long time to realize that loving someone and being in love with someone were two very different things. But they _had_ tried.

In the end, Sakura could have continued as they were. It would've been a marriage on paper and in legal terms alone. In truth, they had become companions; it was what Sasuke needed most, support. But it wasn't about Sakura or Sasuke anymore. Sarada was suffering from the demons Sasuke still battled. Even with him away, she still faced them.

How do you explain to a child why her father never comes by to see her? Or why he doesn't write? Or send gifts? Or why her mommy and daddy don't live together like other families, which changed as Sarada grew to questions about whether or not they were even married still. How do you explain that to a child?

Sasuke loved Sarada. Sakura knew that in his own way he truly did. But he did not know how to love. He couldn't shake off his past enough to allow himself to stay in the village and try. Instead, he committed himself to a mission without any foreseeable end.

She wiped her face again in annoyance. Her thoughts had been going over everything on loop since Sarada had gone to school at the Academy this morning. She hadn't told her yet. She didn't want to dump it all on her and then have to send her off to classes. Still, Sarada had known something was off. She had hugged Sakura a little longer and firmer than usual. She was a smart child.

"Is there any reason you are sniffling while staring melodramatically into the river?"

Sakura jumped, startled out of her thoughts and embarrassed for having been caught in such a state. She wiped at her cheeks again before attempting a smile, "K-kakashi-sensei, what are, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be at Hokage Tower?"

His brows furrowed in concern as he neared to lean on the railing beside her, "Well, I decided to resign." He hummed, "In truth, Naruto was ready to run things by himself years ago."

Intrigued by his open response, she leaned next to him, "Oh? Then what made you continue to assist him for so long?" The pause that followed only served to make her more curious.

But he only gave a trademark smile and joked, "Mah, this old man needed something to keep from feeling idle."

Sakura blinked at his unexpected show of humor before a choked snort escaped her followed by a stream of laughter, "Kakashi-sensei, if you are idle then I am a ninkin."

His grin grew, "Is that so? You know that means you have to follow my orders without question."

She rolled her eyes, "You wish."

He only hummed, a grin still hidden beneath his mask. He knew she was curious now. She could be a persistent thing when she wanted to be and somehow she always ended up getting what she wanted. He mentally kicked himself, but, he only had himself to blame. He had gotten her curiosity peaked and now he'd have to face the consequences. ...Just maybe not right this second. Cutting off what she had begun to say, he opted for a distraction, "I was on my way to grab breakfast. I haven't eaten anything but take-out in such a long time. Care to join? It can be my treat."

Sakura found herself blinking once again, "Your treat?" He hummed. "Kakashi-sensei, when has anything ever been your treat?"

He rolled his eyes as they began to head towards the village, "Really Sakura, you wound me. I have bought you plenty of things."

"Name one."

"... Your birthday present?"

"Kaka-sensei, that was a group gift and I happen to know for a fact that it wasn't your idea to get me a spa day. Ino was the mastermind behind that one. Try again."

"But I was a part of the group, wasn't I?"

She scoffed, "Adding your name to the gift tag hardly counts."

"So mean to your poor, old sensei," he slouched dramatically.

"My poor, old sensei is a tight-wad," she snickered at his pout, "That's not as effective with a mask, you know."

He merely grinned before sighing, "Remember when you respected me?"

Laughing, Sakura bumped his shoulder lightly, which only moved him a little because he used chakra to adhere to the street. She really was scarily strong.

He grinned to himself as he caught her smile as they walked. He had successfully made her forget about whatever had been bothering her. Maybe he wasn't as bad at connecting to Sakura as he had always thought.

* * *

 **Tada! Another chapter!**

 **Yay Kakashi! Yay Sakura!**

 **Ok, enough of that. This is my longest chapter so far, I think. I hope you all liked it!**


	6. His Path Of Life Crosses Hers Again

_Author's Note:_

 _I eat flames for breakfast. Seriously though, they just make me laugh. And want to do whatever I did to piss the person off again. Like poking a bear. A very derpy bear. It's fun, but also kinda too easy. But you do you, you derpy bear you._

 _That said, I do not under any circumstances take flames telling me or anyone else to kill themselves lightly. In addition to making the anons who send them look like immature preteens, they can cause serious emotional and psychological harm to those out there who struggle with depression or self-image issues._

 _Wishing harm to those who like different things, believe different things, or have different ideals than you is a sign of someone being a sociopath, but it just in general makes you a crappy person._

 _Anywho~ On With the story!_

* * *

 **His Path Of Life Crosses Hers Again**

* * *

The next morning, Kakashi found himself even more distracted while on his morning walk than the previous day. He absentmindedly waved to another smiling face as he made his way along his normal path. Yesterday when he had stumbled across Sakura at the bridge, it had been obvious that she was crying, or at least had been. It had concerned him a great deal. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her cry. The invitation to lunch had been a means to get her mind off of her troubles and to give her the chance to unload her burden on him. But, she hadn't said a word about it and, well, he didn't exactly feel like it was his place to ask.

That realization was the second thing that had him troubled. It had bothered him more than he could've thought that she didn't feel as though she could share her troubles with him. When she was younger, he'd find her crying sometimes and he'd sit beside her. He never said a word, but then, he never had to. She'd cry as she told him what was bothering her. It nearly always had to do with Sasuke, of course. After the Chunin Exams, when Sasuke had left, she stopped sharing her thoughts with him like that. She was more closed off emotionally than she had been, the innocent glimmer in her eyes had been snuffed out, as it often did when you lose someone. But still, she would occasionally cry in front of him when it all built up and burst through the new "tough girl" veneer she tried to hide behind. But everyone grows up; he just felt like they grew apart in the process as well. Truth be told, he hadn't known the first thing about how to deal with a teenage girl. Let alone reach out to bridge the obvious distance between them. It had been much easier to do that with Naruto and even Sai.

He felt guilty, really. After the war he had wanted to make things right with those around him who he had been keeping at arm's length. Dying, seeing your dead Father, being brought back, finding out your long dead best friend was actually not dead but behind the many attacks and deaths of your village, and then beating down a God would do that to someone.

He had stopped avoiding _all_ the time Gai when he saw him coming to ask for a challenge. He had made it a point to check on Kurenai and her daughter. He actually tried to actively participate when the gang went out for drinks... Well okay, "actively" may be a bit of a stretch, but he was trying and it was going to be a process. His greatest focus, he had to admit, had been mending the error of his ways with Naruto.

With Sakura, however, he was once again feeling the short comings of his lacking social skills. Had he ignored his female student once again? He had thought she was doing fine. Better than fine. She had married Sasuke, who she had been in love with for as long as he knew her. They had a child. She had gotten her dream and Sasuke's wish to re-establish his clan was fulfilled as well. It had never occurred to him that there could be any problems between them. Sakura was always beaming when she came into his office.

He sighed as he stared at the memorial stone. His eyes fell to the name of his sensei on the cold, dark KIA stone, 'What would you do?' Minato-sensei always knew just what to say to fix things. It was a trait Kakashi wished he could've learned from his sensei. Instead, he hadn't the first clue how to bridge the gap between him and Sakura.

It had been a shock to hear through the grapevine that Sakura had confirmed part of the rumors. His first thought had been, 'What rumors?', which is exactly what he had asked Genma at the bar last night. The answer to which was followed closely by the realization that during their time together yesterday she hadn't told him. Not even a peep was mentioned about her and Sasuke. How bad must it look that he, as the past leader of Team 7, had no idea that two of his teammates had gotten a divorce? Pretty bad, he'd guess.

He shook his head as he stared at the grass swaying around the memorial stone. Looking up to the sky, he noticed that it was slowly darkening. "Hmn, storms blowing in," sighing he reached out to trace the names special to him before standing into his standard slouch. Saying goodbye, he turned to take the path along the stream just like he always did.

Sakura stood with her hip leaning against the railing of the red bridge. Somehow after dropping Sarada off that morning, she had ended up back here. Yesterday had been nothing short of awful, well, most of yesterday. She was grateful that Kakashi had momentarily decided to distract her. No doubt he had heard. She had been waiting the whole time for him to bring it up. After all, he was their genin sensei and ex-team leader. Surely he would have some words of encouragement or something to say to her. One of his odd little remarks, the ones that she could never really quite figure out if he even knew what the hell he was talking about. But, he had not said a word about it, and she certainly didn't bring it up. The last thing she wanted was to end up sobbing on his shoulder. She wasn't 12 any longer. She didn't divulge her emotions onto others in a sobbing, whinny heap anymore. Besides, she had cried enough over the last year about the coming end of her marriage and, along with it, her childhood dream. Instead, she mourned for Sarada. Life for ninjas was never an easy one and she had so desperately wanted to raise her in a stable home with both a mother and a father. She had seen what it was like for children who grew up without families. Sasuke and Naruto still carried that pain in their hearts.

She slapped her fist into her palm as determination filled her. Just like Team 7 was for Sasuke and Naruto, Sarada had a larger family than just Sakura. She was surrounded by love. Sakura would make certain that Sarada was never lacking in love or support. Their friends would be Sarada's support. Naruto and Hinata were like her aunt and uncle, and their children-

"Should I be concerned? You look like you either want to punch something or do a jig."

Her mouth quirked as she let her arms drop to rest on the railing behind her, "Ne, you're safe, Kaka-sensei." She rolled her eyes with a smile tinged by exasperation.

He gave his eye crinkled smile before mimicking her pose and leaning against the railing. Arms crossed in front of his chest, he looked to the sky over the trees as the wind made them sway softly to-and-fro.

Sakura glanced at his profile from the corner of her eye. Wasn't he going to say something? He had found her here once again after all. As he continued to watch the wind tousling the leaves and looking completely relaxed, Sakura grew more and more anxious. Why wasn't he saying anything? Is he waiting for me to say something first? Is he upset with my decision or something? How can he be so calm and collected right now? As her tension built up to the point of bursting, she finally whirled to face him ready to call him out, "Kaka-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" His question cut her off and left her shocked. There was something in his tone that she hadn't heard before. It made her heart drop.

Having deflated, she blinked as she tried to figure out what he meant. Her mind had been ready to rant about his silence on the subject; it had never occurred to her that he actually might not have known. "I- I thought you would've heard about it," she responded weakly. Her frustration feeling lame suddenly. When he merely gave a short nod, still not looking her way, she felt a bubble of guilt rise in her. "Kakashi-sensei, I didn't mean to not tell you. When I got back the other day, it seemed as though the whole village had already known. Not only that but there were some pretty nasty rumors about why we were splitting up. I thought that you working with Naruto would've heard something about it."

After a moment, he nodded more naturally. A small sigh escaped him before he gave her a small smile, "That's perfectly understandable." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I feel bad for not noticing that you were having problems before."

It was her turn to give a small smile, "I didn't want people to know." At the bunching of his brows, she explained, "At first, it was because I thought I could figure it out and it would be fine. But as time went on, it just... Well, even though I knew that we didn't love each other like that anymore, I _do_ still love him and we _are_ a family. I didn't want to leave him without that when he had finally gotten it back. A family..." She fiddled with her fingers, "It took a while to realize that a divorce didn't mean things had to be bad between us afterwards. I could still be there for him, and we have Sarada who bonds us together as a family forever. Sasuke being away hurts Sarada and I just couldn't hold onto something that caused her so much pain. That place feels like a mausoleum without Sasuke in it. Sarada doesn't need that riding on her shoulders like that."

The pause that followed was made heavy by the surge of thoughts each of them became swallowed up in. It was a while before Sakura spoke again.

"Did you know that she had started asking questions when she was only four?" Sakura chuckled slightly, "She has always been a sharp child, a bit too sharp sometimes."

He smirked, "Well, with two brilliant parents, I would expect nothing less."

Sakura's eyes widened as her face flushed. It was silly, but such praise from the man who had been her sensei so long ago still gave her a flood of pride. "Arigato," she glanced at her feet bashfully earning a chuckle from the masked man.

"No need to be embarrassed about it," his eyes glimmered with mirth as she turned a bit redder. He reached out and tousled her hair only to chuckle more as she shot him a glare and scrambled to correct her wayward locks.

"Baka-sensei," she huffed in annoyance teasingly.

He placed a hand over his heart, "So mean to your poor, old sensei."

She scoffed still fixing her hair, "You're not old and you can't be poor seeing as how you've skipped out on so many bills."

He only chuckled in response.

A distant rumbling sounded through the sky as the wind picked up. They both looked to the sky. Sakura turned to Kakashi, "It's about to start pouring. We'd better go."

No sooner had the words left her mouth that the sky opened up and it did just that. Kakashi merely chuckled as his hair became wetter and wetter, drooping down, "You were saying?"

With a scoff, she swatted at his arm, "Well it's too late now. We are soaked." She sighed, "Come on, my place is closer."

With a humored hum from him, they headed to her home and out of the storm.

* * *

 **Well there you have it. Another chapter. And a long one at that!**

 **I hope you liked it! The next one will come much quicker. This has all really been setting it up so I can get to the part where their story begins.**

 **This will be a long story. If something fast and short is what you are looking for, this is not the story for you.**

 **This will have a realistic development of their relationship, but this is a KakaSaku fic so it will happen. The rating is a T right now, but mature stuff will be much later. Cute stuff, feels and a budding emotional shift must take place first. ;)**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	7. Rain Really Sucks

_A/N:_

 _I'm not disabling Anon reviews, but I will be deleting vulgar, threatening ones. I will say that this story has been clearly labeled as KakaSaku and there is a lovely thing called the "back button" that allows you to leave a story if you somehow ended up here without reading the summary._

 _In other words, I couldn't really care less if you like KakaSaku or not. That's the pairing in this story, if you don't like it don't read it. Tra la la ^_~_

* * *

 **Rain Really Sucks**

* * *

Sakura quickly slammed the door shut behind them as they made it to her house. The storm had gone from a steady rain to an outright downpour.

Turning to face Kakashi, her sandals made squishy noises as she moved. Her annoyance turned into a scowl as she caught the amused glimmer in his eyes. "What?" She huffed as she removed the soggy shoes from her feet.

"You look like a drowned cat," he copied her movements and slipped off his own wet shoes.

"Yeah? Well," she removed her red over shirt letting it hit the floor with a wet plop, "you aren't exactly Prince Charming yourself, Baka-sensei." She picked at the drenched black tank top she was left in before letting out a sigh, "I'm going to go change. If you want to step into the hall bathroom, I'll grab you a change of clothes and toss your stuff in the dryer."

"Oh, uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "you don't have to do that, Sakura-chan. I can just use my teleportation jutsu home."

She rolled her eyes with a smile, "You can be such a dork, Kaka-sensei, you know that?" He merely blinked as she began to push him towards the bathroom, "Don't be silly. You live on the other side of the village. No sense in wasting chakra. I swear, this is why you boys always used to stress me out."

His bewilderment turned into a new feeling as he listened to her worrying about him. It was silly. She knew that. He knew that. Kakashi knew his limits. But this was how Sakura cares for them, the men of Team Seven. 'Her boys', she'd often called them. It had been a long time since they had been in a situation where she had to look after their well-being, be their medic. So, he let her steer him into the bathroom and gladly accepted the warm fluffy towel she pushed into his hands before watching her poutingly stomp out. Just before she shut the door, he spoke, "Thank you, Sakura."

She hesitated for a second before the door clicked shut.

She paused outside the closed door, cheeks oddly heated for what reason she had no clue. He had said thank you before. Kakashi-sensei was not a rude man. It was, for the most part, a meaningless phrase you robotically said to someone, but it had never sounded so genuine.

Shaking her head, she went to change reveling in the warmth of her yoga pants and knit sweater. She pulled on socks before moving to Sasuke's dresser. For a moment, she stood before it frozen before reaching in and grabbing a pair of sweats and a long-sleeve thermal she had gotten him but that had never been worn. Luckily, he had liked his street clothes a bit bigger. Not that he ever wore street clothes. A knitted scarf caught her eye and she grabbed it too before padding back down the hall. Knocking on the bathroom door, "Do you want to hand me your wet stuff? I have your change of clothes here." There was a pause before the door cracked open. She kept her eyes firmly planted to the side as he took the dry clothes and placed his wet ones in her hands. Once the door shut, she took the neatly folded but very much soaked clothes to the laundry room.

She was in the living room starting the fireplace when she felt the tingle of his chakra as he flared it. It was something he had always done since she met him. For a man of few words, it was a sure way to signal your entrance and it came in handy on missions too. As the third match broke, she let out a soft curse.

"Here, let me," he kneeled beside her before his hands flew through a set of seals. A small katon no-jutsu set the wood aflame.

She smirked, "The perks of a good fire jutsu."

He chuckled as he followed her motion to sit. Checking to make sure the scarf was properly covering his face, he took his wet mask from his pocket, "Could I dry this as well?" He asked as he looking around seemingly for the possible location of the laundry room.

"Hm? Oh," she took the small loop of fabric before darting down the hall again. Upon returning, she pointed to the kitchen, "Would you like some hot tea?"

"If you want some," he rubbed his neck again. He couldn't help feeling a bit awkward, but he didn't want to be any trouble.

Sakura merely scoffed and shook her head, "You really are silly sometimes." At his sheepish chuckle, she shook her head, "I'm going to make me some hot tea. Would you like some as well?"

He smirked at her obvious amusement before nodding, "I would. Thank you."

* * *

 **Tada! The next chapter!**

 **Alrighty, so this was basically a building of their relationship and putting them in a spot where there can be a shift.**

 **Mostly, I just adore dorky Kakashi. I can see him being super awkward sometimes and it's just too cute. The inner snark in Sakura is going to have a field day teasing him about it. Fair warning.**

* * *

 **SPOILER WARNING FOR NEXT CHAPTER!**

 **If you have not read the side story released by Kishimoto about Kakashi (yes the one where his face is revealed) then the next chapter will spoil that plot for you!**

* * *

 **Well, now that that is done. On to the next chapter!**


	8. Irony Of An Old Crush

**The Irony Of An Old Crush**

* * *

From in the kitchen, he could hear her moving around, cabinets opening and closing, the clicking of the stove as the element lit, water from the sink. He tapped his thumbs on the arms of the armchair as he looked around. There were photos in frames all around. Images of Sarada in various stages of growth, Team Seven's first picture beside the one of Team Kakashi and by that the newer Team Kakashi with Yamato and Sai as well, Ino and Sakura in a field of flowers, other various glimpses of friends and family.

He paused as one picture on a shelf with others caught his eye. It was a picture of him, one he hadn't even known was taken. He had been standing behind his desk in his office looking out the window down to the sprawling village as it was still being rebuilt. It was a bit artistic in its angle and lighting. He surprised that he had not known it was being taken at the time. From the looks of it, he had been in deep thought about something. Suddenly the memory sprang forth, it was the day he had been sworn in as Hokage. He had felt overwhelmed by the new burden, and the heavy ceremonial robes of his new position hadn't helped. He chuckled slightly at that; after that day he refused to wear the whole outfit, and instead settled on the hat and normal gear unless it had been official business or a meeting with dignitaries. Looking around at the other photos, Kakashi realized that a great many were candid pictures like this.

"Snooping already?"

He hid the fact that she had startled him as he turned to face her with an eye crinkled smile. She had gotten better at sneaking up on him... Or he was just getting old. He gladly took the offered tea before gesturing to the photos, "I didn't know you were into photography." He watched bemused and a bit curious as her cheeks flushed and she averted her eyes.

As she sat, Sakura stared at her cup. It was a bit embarrassing, the reason behind why she had gotten curious about photography. When he cleared his throat, she glanced up before giving him a good glare. Its effect was null. He was simply too amused at her embarrassment. With a sigh, she admitted how her hobby began.

"It was back when I was still a genin, back before Sasuke had left. One day, Naruto, Sasuke and I were bored and had decided that we would try to get a glimpse behind your mask again. We were talking over our plans when a man showed up. He, well, he was a photographer, you see, and he wanted to help us. He said a picture of your face would be worth a lot of money, so he would help out. I'm sure you remember this. It was the time you caught us in the Ninja Records room with that stranger."

He gave a nod; it was all he could manage without cracking and laughing out right. He knew exactly what she was referring to. He knew exactly the man she was taking about. That man had been him in disguise after all. Playing his role, however, he tapped his chin, "Hn, that's right. What was his name again?"

"Sukea," she answered without hesitation.

He couldn't help his smirk as her cheeks reddened once she realized that she answered so quickly.

Sakura eyed him curiously for a moment before deciding that his smirk wasn't (probably) as smug as it seemed. Continuing, she said, "Well, it is silly, but he was very clever and ... did you know he had been in ANBU? And I guess, I thought- I mean, he was handsome." She flushed again, "Anyways, the way he spoke about photography, it seemed that he was pretty passionate about it. He made me curious about it too. I just kind of picked it up after that and haven't stopped since."

When she looked up, Kakashi's eyes were wide and his cheeks visible above the scarf were pink. He looked surprised? Embarrassed, maybe?

It made her feel embarrassed about the story. She huffed in what she hoped appeared as nonchalance even as her words rushed out, "I was just a silly little girl with a crush." After a moment, she spoke softer as she looked around at the photographs scattered about the room, "But I am glad I tried it out." She trailed off as she looked over some of the pictures around the room.

His shock faded, though the warmth in his face seemed determined to stay. Still, a small smile quirked the corner of his mouth upwards, a tender smile, "I'm sure he would be flattered to hear it."

* * *

 **How flipping cute was that?**  
 **When the idea hit me, I had to go with it. The idea that Sakura had a little crush on Sukea was just too perfect. Kakashi was shocked to hear it for many reasons.**

 **First, let's be honest, Kakashi is a man who probably honestly has no idea how damn hot he is, the little shit. He started to wear the mask for many reasons, but I'd put money on the fact that people staring at him makes him super uncomfortable. He just has no clue it's because he is so damn cute. Probably thinks they are looking at his "mole". Pfft, whatever. It's a beauty mark.**

 **Second, Sukea was a disguise, but remember, that was actually Kakashi's face from the nose down. The part normally hidden by the mask was the only part that wasn't disguised. So, Sakura saying he was "good looking" then and handsome now, is actually calling Kakashi those things. Being the bashful, clueless (when it comes to his attractiveness) dork he is, he'd be super blushy about it.**

 **That being said. There are not any attraction-type, romantic feelings between Kakashi and Sakura yet. They are simply bonding on a new level. As friends, instead of professionals. This is new territory for them. There are going to be some tender, cutesy bits. But no romance yet. I'll warn you first! haha!**

 **I hope you guys liked this!**


	9. Airing Dirty Laundry

**Airing Dirty Laundry**

* * *

Kakashi had become distracted. Not that he was any quieter than usual; but there was something about the parts of his face that she could see that held the expression of a quiet man struggling to formulate something he wanted to say. If he focused on the wall any harder, Sakura was certain he would go cross-eyed.

It was the first time in the past two months that they had begun their new morning routines that there had ever been an awkward silence. For the past two months, they'd meet up at the bridge and wander around the village before coming back to Sakura's for brunch. It had been nice spending time together. After all this time, she finally felt like she was getting to know Kakashi the man, instead of just Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. She was surprised how funny he really was. Though his sense of humor was dryer than most, he often had her laughing, which was nice. It was an extra successful day if she was able to get a chuckle out of him as well.

She glanced at him again with a light sigh. Seeing as how he apparently wasn't ever going to spit out whatever he wanted to say, she sat down her empty tea cup before adjusting her position to face his armchair better.

Clasping her hands in front of her, she sighed, "Well?"

"Hm?" He almost visibility snapped out of his revere.

"What is it?" She quirked a brow as she watched his eyes narrow as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. A small smirk tilted her mouth, "Oh come on, Kakashi-sensei, you were in such deep thought there for a moment I was worried your brows we're going to get stuck all bunched up that way forever."

After a slow blink, he let out a soft chuckle. Rubbing his neck, Kakashi rather sheepishly apologized, "I guess it's not the nicest thing to zone out like that when you are a guest, is it?"

She could only roll her eyes half-heartedly, "Don't be ridiculous. We've known each other for so long- I think we are past the formal niceties, ne? I was more concerned. I haven't seen you space out like that before, well, unless you were faking it of course." She gave him a mischievous grin.

He was a bit surprised and it showed in the lifting of his brows before he let out another chuckle, "You never cease to surprise me, Sakura-chan."

She waved him off as she took his empty cup and hers to the kitchen refilling their cups with a freshly brewed hot tea, "I have to keep you boys on your toes." From her kitchen, she could see into the living room. He was fixated at the wall again, "So, are you going to share with the class?" She asked half-teasingly before returning to her seat on the couch beside him.

He was still for a moment. "How are you really, Sakura?" All humor was gone from his voiced. The serious, yet gentle concern of his tone left no doubt what exactly he was referring to specifically.

She was caught off guard. As he turned finally, his expression held the same gentleness of his tone. It was her turn to stare at nothing. "About the divorce, you mean?" She asked even though she knew what he meant.

"Hai."

She sighed. After their talk the day it rained, they had avoided all talk about it. Well, avoided was a strong word. It just hadn't come up, at least not to her. He was surprisingly good at being a distraction.

"You don't have to answer that," he spoke finally, taking her lack of answer the wrong way.

"No," her voice a bit louder than she meant. He looked at her with lifted brows. She placed her hand on his arm. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it with you," she gave his arm a light squeeze, "So don't think that, ok?" Once he gave a tilt of his head in agreement, she returned to fidgeting with her hands in her lap. "I'm fine, really," she began, "No, I'm more than fine."

A small smile of relief lit up her face. It made her eyes glimmer in a way that had his own smile forming to match hers.

"I feel like I should feel guilty about this, but I honestly feel freer now. Sasuke and I had been feeling the strain of trying to act like everything in our marriage was fine. Neither of us wanted to hurt the other. It was so hard for so long, Kakashi. At first I thought I had to hide all this from everyone, and then to hide it from Sarada, and now-" she sighed slouching into the couch.

"Sakura, there is nothing wrong with being happy," he said as he studied her for a moment, "you shouldn't feel guilty about that."

After a moment her head lulled to look at Kakashi-sensei. "Sarada hasn't spoken about it. It worries me. She keeps things to herself sometimes. She takes after Sasuke in that way."

It was his turn to reach out. His hand dwarfed her shoulder as he gave her a comforting squeeze, "Don't worry. She will talk when she is ready. She is probably just trying to come to terms with it."

Her mouth had formed a small frown, "But what if she falls into depression? Divorces are notorious for causing that in the children."

"Sakura, you are a good mother, but even you can't help if she gets a bit down from this. That doesn't mean she won't pull out of it. She just needs time to process it all. If she starts down the darker road, you'll see it," he said without a shadow of doubt as he sipped from his hot tea.

She watched his profile for a moment. Her eyes searching until the furrow between her brows smoothed and a grateful smile blossomed, "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

 **Woo! New chapter! And a two month time skip!**

 **Well, what do you think? Let me know in the comments!**

 **Thank you guys for reading!**


	10. Hospitals Are A Drag

**A/N:**

 **I wanted to give a special thanks to my reviewers. You guys are such a special group of people. Thank you for your support.**

 **This chapter is for you.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Hospitals Are A Drag**

* * *

It was a Monday. Like all Mondays, it had sucked. A fact only worsened because after her little two week "vacation", aka Family Drama Leave, after she informed Naruto of her divorce, she had been struggling to get caught up with all the planning for the new wing of the hospital. It had left her with a month and a half to get everything in order. This week would be the grand opening of the new Naruto Pediatric and Neonatal wing, an area dedicated to the births and lives of the village's children. She had decided to dedicate the wing to Naruto, who was beyond humbly honored.

It had been a chaotic month and a half, however, the divorce had been finalized. Plus, her two week "vacation" had left her with nothing to do, except enjoy her new morning routine with Kakashi-sensei. It had been nice to have that time to adjust and cope before plunging back into the insanity that was the Hospital. Days like today, she understood Tsunade's eagerness to get the hell out of dodge when her term as Hokage was up.

As it was, she had been officially off work an hour ago, but was stuck still signing forms, requests and waivers. It was the usual hospital stuff that had been put on the backburner during the day as she finalized the hiring of the new staff for the new wing.

Sighing as she signed the last paper, she slouched back into her chair with a wince at the stiffness of her back. She really needed to look into an assistant or a Secretary or a bartender. She'd be happy with any of them at this point. Standing, she organized the stack of papers before placing them in a folder to be dropped off on her way out. The night shift people had already arrived, letting her know it was after 6pm. She groaned as she realized Sarada would've been home for a good while now. She hated not being able to see her home, but Choji and his daughter always walked her home, which was very kind of him. Stepping foot outside, she stopped to breathe in air that didn't smell of antiseptic.

"Do you always do that?"

"Bwaaah!" She jumped at the sudden voice from beside her. She had spun to face him with fists aglow with chakra knives and ready to kick a creepy robber's ass. That is, until she zeroed in on messy silver hair. As he gave a little wave with a wiggle of his fingers, she let out a long sigh, dragging a hand over her face, "Kaka-sensei, I nearly permanently rearranged your face just then."

"Good thing I wear a mask then, ne?"

She peaked at him between her fingers before a giggle escaped her lips. Tension fully forgotten, she bumped his shoulder as they walked down the sidewalk, "You really are a dork, you know that?"

"You tell me so often, how could I forget?" He grinned as she laughed again. Once her giggles subsided and she was wiping a tear from her eye, he held a to-go cup in front of her. "Rough day?"

Her eyes widened at the drink. She knew the logo; it was her favorite coffee place. She took it gratefully breathing in the delicious aroma before taking a sip of the sinful brew. A pleased groan and sigh rushed out of her, "You are the best. And it was horrible. I'm seriously considering going to Naruto with a request to ban fireworks because, I swear to you, people find dumber and dumber things to do with them each year. I've treated burns in places that you wouldn't believe. I mean, what makes someone think that shooting a Roman Candle out of their butt would be a good idea? Seriously! A _Chunin_ was in today because he had done just that. And these are the people who protect our village, Kaka-sensei."

His grin grew with her story until he was out right chuckling, "That sounds like a lost bet to me." At her incredulous glance, he shrugged, "I know a thing or two about competitions."

She rolled her eyes, "Men are so weird." After a moment she added, "If you ever burn your butt from being so stupid, I will make sure you have to heal the old fashion, civilian way."

He faked a look of offense, "I would never." Her unamused glare had him clarifying, "Sakura, there are some bets even Gai couldn't get me to do."

She let out a small noise of disbelief from behind her coffee. Grinning at his pout, she sighed, "So besides deciding to gift me with this cup of heaven, what had you sneaking outside of my work?"

"I wasn't sneaking," he scoffed lightly, "You are just getting rusty."

Her eyes glimmered as she stared him down, "Want to take this to the training grounds and I'll show you how rusty I've gotten, _sensei_?"

He gulped at the fiery glint in her eyes, "Ne, Sakura-chan, I was only teasing." He chuckled nervously before clearing his throat, "I actually had something to tell you. On my walk this morning, I ran into a rather frantic Shino and Iruka standing outside of the Academy."

Sakura's heart dropped. Iruka, being the headmaster of the Academy now was hardly ever outside the school during class hours unless something was wrong. She felt a rising panic begin to build, "It's about Sarada, isn't it?"

He nodded before explaining, "She didn't go to school today-"

"WHAT?!" Sakura screeched making his ears ring.

He interrupted her panicked ranting, "Sakura, Sakura," grabbing her shoulders he forced her to stop walking and look at him, "I found her. She was _fine_."

With a shaky breath, "Ok," Sakura wiped a tear before nodding, "Ok. I'm fine. But, ... Where was she all day then?"

Kakashi sighed. His shoulders slumped and he averted his gaze off to the distance. "She was in the old Uchiha Compound."

* * *

 **New chapter!**  
 **And drama!**

 **Reviews make Kakashi do a jig.**


	11. A Nose Is Needed

**A/N:** As many of you know, I have been messaging my followers and reviewers to extend a special opportunity. Further into the story, are favorite pair is going to have to get romantically involved. I wanted to give my readers a fun way to be more engaged with "Second Chances", therefore, I have decided to let you all tell me what you think should happen for a certain special event~

What do you think Kakashi and Sakura's first date should be?

Send in your ideas either through PM or in a review! I will compile them and create a poll. The one with the most votes will win. If no votes are cast, I will assign each a number and use a random number generator to select the idea. That idea will then be written into the story.

Keep in mind this development won't happen until further into the story, but I am writing ahead, so good luck! And I look forward to hearing your ideas! We've already gotten some amazing submissions!

* * *

 **A Nose Is Needed**

* * *

As Sakura took off from the hospital with Kakashi at her side, "Tell me everything on the way," she demanded.

With a breath and a nod, he began...

* * *

* _Flashback_ *

* * *

Out on his typical morning stroll, Kakashi was overwhelmed with a sense of boredom. It was an odd and new development, and he had a good idea exactly which vivacious pinkette was too blame for making the solitude of the morning less than appealing. Days she worked meant his mornings were somewhat lacking. Slouching further in a unhealthy mix of annoyance (at himself mostly) and disgust (also mostly at himself but the boredom was too blame here too), he mechanically lifted a hand to wave the standard greeting that was required of him as he passed two figures out in front of the Academy.

"Hokage-sama!" The unmistakable voice of Iruka being unmistakably panicked reached his ears.

'Welp,' he thought, 'so much for boredom.' "Yo," he greeted as he came to a stop by the pair. It was then that he noticed Shino, who looked a bit on edge. Interest fully peaked and with nothing else to do with his day, he couldn't help but find himself asking, "Anything I can help with?" He blamed his newfound boredom, maybe he should look into a hobby… like knitting. He did like scarves.

Iruka's hands began wringing his shirt hem, "Eh, well, I think considering the circumstances you might be able to help."

Shino spoke up with a steadier demeanor, "Are you familiar with Sarada-chan's scent?"

That was not what he was expecting. He wasn't going to come out and say that he had been around her home enough for the past few weeks to have her scent firmly implanted in his brain. That may be a bit awkward to explain without giving the wrong idea. Surely his choice to suddenly become involved in Sakura's life just as she was getting a divorce would cause the gossip mill to go wild.

Finally, he gave a nod, "I should have a strong enough grasp of it," he admitted before eyeing Shino as if searching for his bugs. Doesn't the Aburame Clan track? After a brief pause, he rubbed his neck as he said, "This is where I ask why you'd ask such a strange question."

Iruka seemed to become closer to his chipper self, "That's good news. Shino has to supervise his class and his bugs are out of commission-"

"It's the breeding and nesting season," he clarified matter-of-factly.

"Right," Iruka nodded before realizing that Kakashi still had no idea what was going on. He explained, "We need you to track Sarada-chan down. She didn't show up to class today and Sakura-san always drops a note by if she is sick. Something must be wrong."

Kakashi's stomach dropped, "Has Sakura been informed?"

Iruka hesitated, "N-no, not yet." He groaned and rubbed a hand over his face, "We were waiting to see if she'd come in late, but it's into the 4th hour now. I was just about to send a messenger to the Hospital."

At this, Shino seemed even more nervous. Kakashi sighed. He couldn't blame the two for their nervousness in regards to Sakura's reaction to her daughter missing. No doubt, her fist would be involved in that reaction and Konoha was finally fully rebuilt. It wouldn't do to have to rebuild some more.

Swiftly turning around, Kakashi had bitten his finger and flown through a series of seals before slamming his palm to the ground, a cloud of smoke erupting immediately. He gave his orders to his pack before calling, "scatter," signaling the ninja hounds to flash away on their mission. After a pause, Kakashi turned back, "Alright, here's the plan. The pack is going to track her scent. If I haven't sent word that I have found her within the hour, Sakura is to be informed, even if she is in surgery. Otherwise, I will inform her of the matter myself when she gets off work this evening. Until we find out what happened here, we are not to cause panic. I have a feeling this is nothing malicious."

"But what if it is because of her being an Uchiha?" Iruka asked genuinely concerned about the possibility that she could've been kidnapped for her kekkei-genkai.

"Let's deal with 'what-ifs' if I am not able to find her scent within the village," with that, Kakashi have a two fingered salute before darting off in search of Sarada.

* * *

Kakashi landed beside Pakkun in front of a set of gates that he had not set foot near in many years. The place still seemed to have a heavy air about it. It made him feel claustrophobic, an affliction that he didn't have anywhere else but here. Since the days of Team Minato, the Uchiha Compound only ever held bad memories.

Kneeling down, he pat his furry friend's head, "Gomen, Pakkun. Go tell Iruka that we've found her."

"Hai," the little pug answered in a gruff voice. Pausing, Pakkun looked at his longtime friend and pack leader in concern. "You sure you don't want me to send one of the others?"

The smile Kakashi gave him was false, but both parties knew what it meant. He wasn't completely alright with it, but it had to be done. The whoosh of air at the little pug's departure was Kakashi's signal; it was time.

Walking on the paved streets of what was left of the compound, Kakashi couldn't help but be reminded of his times spent here in his youth. Running through the streets chasing Obito, Rin hollering for them to stop fighting, Minato laughing and apologizing to the people they ran past. He had good memories here as well as sad ones.

But all of that was washed over with red now. The night of the massacre had painted this place red with the blood of the Uchiha. It was more gruesome than many battlefields. Throats had been slashed open, infants killed sleeping in their beds, mothers shielding their children. Many of the ANBU sent for cleanup had vomited at the sights. He had been one of them. It was a sight that couldn't be unseen, no matter how hard he had tried.

Majority of the complex was now gone. It had not been rebuilt. Instead, what survived had been repaired and the rest turned into a field. There had been plans to make it a park, but no one wanted to step foot on the ground. It was cursed, they said. Of course, it wasn't really cursed. Well, except to carry the memory of that tragedy for all time.

Glancing around, he took note of the spot of the Police Station that was now gone. It had been the central part of the Uchiha compound and now was an empty lot. Taking the only option, Kakashi turned left down a small street behind the last row of the two blocks still standing by the entrance. This path lead to a small pond. There on the dock sat Sarada. Relief washed over him.

Slowly, he walked down the wooden planks. As he stood by her, he saw her quickly rubbing her cheeks as though to hide that she had been crying. Her face remained down, her hair a curtain. "I'm sorry for causing trouble," she spoke in a flat tone.

He wanted to help somehow. He wished once again for his sensei's way with words. Instead, he went with his usual humor, "Hm, trouble? I'm merely here looking for a new hiding spot. This spot isn't taken, is it?" He asked pointing to the spot beside her on the dock.

Her head whipped up to face him as he spoke. Scrambling to her feet, "H-Hatake-sama!"

He merely sat in his spot casually, as though oblivious to the panic of the young Uchiha beside him, "Hmn, it is nice here."

Gaping still, Sarada tried to calm herself. She must be in big trouble if they sent someone like Hatake Kakashi after her, "H-hai." She spoke nervously. She hadn't ever really talked to him before, but she knew all about him. He was an incredibly skilled Shinobi, as all who become Hokage were, and he had lead the famous Team Seven and, therefore, her parents and Hokage-sama.

He gave her a smile, "Come sit," he patted the spot she had vacated, "I want to show you something. It's a game my father used to play with me on times like this."

Hesitating for a moment, Sarada's curiosity took over. Siting, she asked, "Times like this, Hatake-sama? What do you mean?"

He chuckled, "Please, called me Kakashi. Hatake-sama makes me feel old." He smiled at her, relieved when the corner of her mouth quirked upwards the tiniest bit. "And I meant times when you are feeling sad."

Brows bunched, Sarada looked back to her lap. Kakashi waited patiently. Finally, a tiny nod let him know she was ready.

"Alright, it's called 'Two Truths and A Lie'. You have to say three things about yourself, one of which is false, and then I have to guess which one is the false one," he explained. Glancing at her, he chuckled at her confused expression, "I'll go first to show you what I mean. Hm, let's see... Ah! I've got it." Ticking off a finger for each one, he began, "I have a secret reading spot. My hair is naturally red. And, I don't like sweets. Now then, you guess which one is false."

Sarada studied him for a second before a small giggle escaped her, "G-gomen Kakashi-sama, but you'd look really funny with red hair."

He smirked as she giggled again, "Is that your pick then?" She nodded. "Very good. Now it's your turn."

Smiling now, Sarada swung her feet as they dangled over the dock, "Okay, I am ready." Counting off on her fingers like he did, she began, "I like to read. I like sweets. And, I once found a pervy book in Shino-sensei's desk!"

Kakashi chuckled, "Well, I will have to have a word with him about being more careful about where he places his reading material, ne Sarada-chan?"

She gaped, "How did you know that wasn't the lie?"

"Because your voice was even and you weren't fidgeting like you did when you said you liked sweets," he smiled at her bewildered look, "I've got years of training to spot a lie. This next time I will close my eyes when you go to make it fairer." Seemingly satisfying Sarada, Kakashi went again, "hm, green is my favorite color. Photography is a hobby of mine. And, eggplant is my favorite vegetable."

Sarada scrunched up her nose, "Eggplant is gross, but I'm going to say Photography is false."

"Wrong and eggplant is delicious," he smiled.

"Wow, really! Did you know that Mom likes Photography too?" She asked.

He merely smiled, "Is that so?"

"Mhm," she nodded, "She is really good at it too. You should see some of her pictures sometime."

"I would like that," he grinned humorously. He, of course, already knew of Sakura's hobby and had seen her pictures. "I believe you are next," he reminded.

Tapping her chin, Sarada appeared to be in deep thought for a moment, "Slugs kind of creep me out. Chōchō is my best friend. And, I don't really know if-" she paused before continuing, "I don't really know if I want to be a ninja." As she finished, her smile had vanished.

Kakashi frowned as her demeanor wilted before him. His diversion had worked to distract her from her troubles for a while, but now it seemed he was getting to the bottom of some of what was causing her to be so down. "That's okay, you know," he spoke calmly. "Sometimes we aren't sure what we want and that's okay. You'll figure it out in time."

"But," she sniffled, "my parents are both such great Shinobi... Or at least that's what people say. They say mom is super strong and that she can break mountains with her pinky and that she saved thousands, but I've only ever seen her work at the hospital all the time. I- I've never met my Papa, but all people tell me how powerful he is… and other things..." She hiccupped before continuing, "Did- did he really try and kill Mom and Hokage-sama?"

Kakashi paled, "Who told you that?"

"I heard some of the parents at school talking," she explained, "They were outside of the school this morning. They didn't see me, but they were talking about Mom and Dad getting a divorce and said that they never understood why Mom married a guy who abandoned his village and tried to kill her and the Hokage. Is that true, Hatake-sama?"

He was _not_ prepared for this. Furthermore, he wanted to find those parents and give them a piece of his mind. He knew all too well how cruel people could be. Kakashi sighed, "Hai." He would not to lie to her and telling her to ask her mother could push her away when she was ready to talk now, "When your father was young, he had a lot of pain and sadness inside him. A very bad man took advantage of that and taught him to be angry, because of this, he did somethings that he later regretted." He explained in a way a child may be able to understand. She didn't need all the nasty details, but she did deserve the truth. "But your father is a hero. He didn't destroy this village. In the end, he chose to help save it and everyone in it. Even now, he is fighting to protect this village and all who live inside it. Don't let the words of people who don't know the whole story hurt you. People can be mean when they don't understand. Remember that." He placed a hand on her small back. Next thing he knew, tiny arms were around his neck.

She cried about the mean words people had said. She cried about her parents' divorce. She cried about not knowing her father. As Sarada cried, Kakashi listened, gently rubbing her back and shushing her until she dozed off in his arms.

Carefully, he stood holding her with her face resting on his shoulder, his hand cradling her head. For a 10 year old, she was very small. As he walked down the forgotten streets of the compound, Sarada stirred back into consciousness.

Sleepily from her spot on his shoulder, she asked, "Kakashi-sama?"

"Yes, Sarada-chan?"

"Could you tell me more about my Papa?"

He could understand her curiosity for the parent she had never met. It was a feeling he had gone through as a child, only he had no one who he could ask, or rather, he hadn't been able to ask. And so, it was with a gentle smile that he began, "Let me start at the beginning. The first time I met your father, he was very young. It was before he was even in the Academy and I was stopping by his house to pick up his older brother."

"I had an uncle?"

"Hai, Itachi was his name and he was an amazing and kind-hearted person."

* * *

 **Woohoo.**  
 **This chapter was fun to write. I thought a flashback would give us a neat insight into what happened in a way that Kakashi retelling it would not have been able to. Plus this way we get some interaction with some other characters. Iruka is one of my faves and Shino as an Academy instructor is just perfection (even if his design makes him look like Cyclops from Xmen. ;D)**

 **Well, there you go. Enjoy those feels.** **Don't worry, Kakashi is not going to tell her anything too bad about Itachi or Sasuke. She is only 10 after all.**

 **I'm not 100% about canon, but here, Itachi's name has been cleared. He has been declared a hero, though some will still think negatively about him. Officially, the story was set straight with the downfall of Danzo and the Root Federation.**

 **But yes, cute feels. All the feels. Much ha ha ha.**

 **The next chapter will be back to the normal timeline.**


	12. Something Small Means A Lot

**A/N: The poll for the selection of the first date is up and available on my profile!**

* * *

 **Something Small Means A Lot**

* * *

 _*Normal POV*_

As Sakura rushed across town, Kakashi told her the story about what had happened earlier. The further into his retelling they got the more her ruling emotions shifted. By the end, she had gone from terrified and blistering mad to irritated and worried to a tinge of shock and affection for the man beside her and quite a bit sad.

"To think that she'd wander into that place all alone," Sakura sighed as they passed by the very place.

Kakashi purposely avoided looking at the foreboding gates. He had gotten his share today, thank you very much. From in front of the remnants of the Uchiha compound, you could look across the open field that had been the rest of the complex to the other side. There sat Sakura and Sarada's home. For not the first time and probably not the last, Kakashi wondered at the sheer amount of self-torment Sasuke was capable of putting himself through. Why someone would pick this place of all the homes in Konoha to make your marital home, he would never understand.

As they passed through the small gate that allowed access into the small garden Sakura had in front of her home, Kakashi stopped, "Well, I should leave you to it." He gave a reassuring smile, feeling it was best that he wasn't present when Sakura had to get into 'Mom Mode'. He could only imagine the ear-full Sarada was about to get. This was a thing to be dealt with between the two of them as a family. However, the look on Sakura's face gave him pause.

She was fidgeting with her hem and chewing on her lip. When she looked up at him, he was surprised that instead of angry she seemed sad and nervous. "Do you, I mean, would you mind if-" she sighed running a hand through her hair, "I don't know what to do, Kakashi-sensei. I just, I just feel so lost right now."

His heart clenched at the expression her eyes held as she met his glance. It had to be hard to be parenting alone. It was a big burden to bare by yourself without emotional support at times like this. She looked so fragile, which was the one thing Sakura was not. It killed him to see her like this. "Sakura," he spoke softly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "everything will be back to normal soon."

When she seemed to flinch, he wanted to throw himself off a cliff when he realized when the last time he had said those words was. Those words had ended up an empty promise then. Gripping her other shoulder, he turned her to face him fully, "I mean it. Sakura, you won't be alone in this."

He hoped his words conveyed his full meaning. He intended to make sure that Sakura wouldn't be left to deal with this alone. He owed it to her to do that much. More than their history, he owed it to their new friendship. As long as he could help it, he would try and make the burden of being a single parent easier for both Sakura and, in turn, Sarada.

Sakura studied him for a moment, weighing his words. Finally, her expression turned tender and grateful, "Thank you, Kakashi."

As she turned down the hall, she missed the blush that bloomed across his face. She had dropped the honorific, and though it probably wasn't the first time, it was the first time he could say that he noticed the familiar usage of his name falling from her lips. It was certainly the first time she addressed him in any way that made a flush spread across his cheeks. The tenderness in the way she said it had him feeling oddly warm, and he wasn't sure what to do about that.

As he sat on her couch trying to focus on the words of his favorite Icha Icha only to re-read the same paragraph multiple times, he decided that he wasn't really sure how he felt about it either.

* * *

Sakura knocked on Sarada's shut door. Kakashi had said she might be sleeping. The ordeal had been draining for her. So when a soft reply beckoned her to come in, Sakura wasn't entirely prepared with how to start this. Feeling it best to start with skipping class and running off alone, she opened the door ready to be firm. However, as the light from the hall showed Sarada huddled up on her bed with an old stuffed dinosaur, Sakura lost all her ire.

Clicking the door shut behind her, she made her way to sit beside her daughter. "Sarada?" she brushed some hair from the young girl's face.

"Aren't you going to tell me how bad it was to take off like that? Or how something could've happened to me and how no one would've known where I was?" the young girl asked grumpily, her sniffles giving away how she really felt.

"Well," Sakura began as she kept combing her fingers through Sarada's hair, "from the sound of it, I don't have to." Sarada stiffened beside her, obviously not expecting that reaction. Sakura sighed, "Instead, why don't you tell me what made you run off?"

Sarada hesitated for a moment. "Didn't Kakashi-sama tell you?" her tone honest and curious.

Sakura blinked in surprise. She often forgot how talented her daughter was. She knew Kakashi was here from his chakra. "He told me from his point of view, yes," she nodded, "but I want to hear it from your side."

There was a moment of silence before Sarada rolled onto her back to look up at her Mom, "Okay."

* * *

It was a few hours later when Sakura emerged from Sarada's room. It had gotten dark outside while they had talked. Sarada had cried some and told her all about what made her run today. She also finally asked about her father and spoke of the divorce. There were many questions and Sakura felt exhausted from the whole ordeal.

As she walked in the living room, she was surprised to see that Kakashi was still there. He was stretched out along the couch with his book over his face, apparently having fallen asleep.

Her mouth quirked upwards. Gingerly as she could, she picked his arm up from dangling off the side of the couch to rest across his chest. Carefully picking up his book, she saved his spot and placed it on the coffee table beside the couch. She grabbed a throw blanket and covered him. Pausing she looked over his masked face, he appeared so peaceful. It was actually rather cute. She snickered to herself shaking her head.

He didn't have to stay this whole time. She felt bad for making him wait so long that he actually ended up falling asleep, but she was grateful. He stayed to support her and it meant more than he probably would ever realize.

She gave a wistful smile as she bent to brush her lips lightly over his forehead, "Good night, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

 **Yay! New chapter!**  
 **Hope you liked it!** **Next chapter is gonna be all cute again!** **Also, feelings may or may not be brewing between these two now. What do you think?**

 **Don't forget to go to my profile and cast your vote for the first date!**


	13. Morning Feels Different

**A/N: Don't forget to vote for what you want Kakashi and Sakura's first date to be! It's getting closer to when I will need to write it! So go, go go!**

* * *

 **Morning Feels Different**

* * *

Sakura woke slowly. She savored the feeling of not having to rush in the morning. She always set her alarm much earlier than need be for that reason. She hated feeling rushed.

Instead, when her alarm went off at 5 o'clock in the morning, she stretched and took in the warmth of her big, comfy bed before finally getting up. As per her routine, she'd take a nice, long, hot shower before drying her hair. She'd pick out her outfit for work while wrapped up in her robe before doing her minimalistic makeup. She'd dress and then go a little down the hall to Sarada's room to wake her up at 6:30. She'd go into the kitchen and make her much needed coffee while waiting for Sarada to join her. That was her favorite part of mornings, the time they spent together cooking breakfast.

As she walked into the living room that morning, an odd bundle on the coach gave her pause. Her mind was sadly a bit muddled in the mornings without her coffee, so it took her giving the suspicious shape the once over to notice that the weird thing lit up by the morning sun peeking through her large windows was the shock of the unmistakable silver hair of Hatake Kakashi. Feeling a bit dim for forgetting that he had stayed yesterday, she neared him ready to wake him up.

When she stood beside him she paused, a smile slowly formed as she took in his rumpled form. He was sprawled out along the length of the coach, an arm above his head and the other across his torso. He had removed his standard issue armor vest and placed it in her armchair, leaving him in his jonin shirt. His rumpled shirt had shifted up in his obviously rough sleep, and through his mesh undershirt, the trail of dark silver hair that lead up to his exposed navel had Sakura's face heated as she quickly stretched the small throw blanket back over him. His hair was messier than usual, surprising since she had been so certain he didn't ever do anything to it. His headband laid on the ground by him, resulting in some of his unruly locks drooping over his forehead in a way that was really rather adorable. He looked so peaceful, relaxed when he usually was always deceitfully on guard.

Smiling, she picked up his headband and folded it neatly on the coffee table before deciding to let him sleep for a little longer. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she headed for the kitchen. Breakfast seemed like a brilliant idea; besides, coffee was needed for her to feel like one of the living.

* * *

 _Kakashi POV_

An increasingly stronger smell drug him from his deep sleep. If it didn't have his stomach rumbling to its tempting scent, he may have been annoyed for the interruption. The sounds of cooking and hushed voices alerted him into full wakefulness.

As he sat up, he glanced over the back of the coach to see Sakura with an apron standing by the stove with Sarada, on a stool no doubt, wearing a matching apron and mixing something in a bowl. They were smiling and giggling to each other. He couldn't help but feel relieved that Sarada was in a better mood today. He smirked as Sakura dipped her finger in Sarada's bowl before dabbing a dot of the mix onto the younger girl's nose. It spurred a new stream of giggles from the pair.

One scent in particular wafted to his sharp nose: coffee. Padding over, he smiled as Sarada spotted him behind her mom as he entered.

"Good morning, Kakashi-Sama," she smiled at him.

He couldn't help but smile back as he saw that she was in fact on a stool beside her mother. Chuckling lightly, "Indeed." He leaned over Sakura's shoulder eyeing what was in the pan with exaggerated suspicion.

Sakura's eyes gleamed as her eye narrowed sharply. She swatted his shoulder with the spatula, "Don't you start."

He grinned through his fake pout, "So mean to your poor, old sensei, Sakura-chan."

Sakura huffed with a hidden grin.

It was all in jest of course. Still, he couldn't help but keep up his sulky act even as Sakura handed him a coffee mug with an amused grin at his rumpled appearance. He playfully rolled his eyes. Nudging his mask down just enough, he pretended not to notice a certain little girl watching eagerly. As he sipped his coffee, he gave Sarada a wink over his cup sending her into a new wave of giggles at being caught trying to sneak a peek.

Content to sip his caffeine fix and watch, he was a bit out of his element as Sakura took to delegating some of the preparations to him. He set the table as per her directions, because really he couldn't recall ever setting a table in his life. He filled three glasses, two with orange juice and one with cranberry, since Sakura apparently hates orange juice. He brought each plate to Sakura to be loaded with a thing she called a pancake and some eggs before Sarada gave each plate some bacon. Returning each plate to its spot on the table, it wasn't until he placed the last plate that he realized that he had been included in this morning ritual without hesitation or question.

Following the two girls' lead, he watched as they sat at the table. Sakura watched him as he hesitated before giving a satisfied nod when he followed suit. Sarada clapped her hands together, "Itadakimasu!" Kakashi's eyes caught Sakura's, she gave him a small smile he found himself returning before the pair said their "Itadakimasu" as well.

* * *

 **Viola! New chapter. And yes it is shorter. Sorry.**

 **First, I want to say thank you to my readers and to those who vote and leave comments. I really appreciate it. You guys rock.**

 **So, for this chapter, I wanted to show something very important but in a bit of a subtle way. Kakashi experiencing a family breakfast for the first time. With his mother dying when he was so young and his father being a ninja, I doubt if they had mornings where the typical "family" breakfast would take place in any kind of routine way.**

 **I felt this would be significant for him. The way Sakura and Sarada naturally accepted him into their morning routine would have an impact on him, whether he realizes it or not just yet you'll have to wait to see.**

 **As always, I love getting feedback. So tell me what you think.**


	14. The Green Beast Gives Advice Kinda

**A/N: I have the most amazing group of readers. I love you all! :3**

 **Also, VOTE! I only have a few votes. Hard to know what you guys want when only 4 people have voted. It takes two seconds. Go. Go. Go.**

* * *

 **The Green Beast Gives Advice... Kinda**

* * *

The rest of the morning Kakashi felt caught in a daze. Sitting through breakfast, he was surprised that he hadn't felt awkward or like he was intruding on family time. Instead, both girls had fully included him in all aspects of their morning routine. He had set the table - for the first time in his life, after all why would a bachelor have need to set out all the assorted silverware in their "proper" places just to eat takeout?

The answer is he wouldn't.

But he was always a quick learner and Sarada was a very kind teacher. When he had told her so, the young Uchiha had stood a little straighter in pride and the wide grin hadn't left her face for the rest of the morning.

She wasn't the only one with a grin. He found himself smiling more than he had in longer than he could remember. He had no idea that someone's cheeks could actually hurt from grinning for an extended period of time. Sarada had found his discovery hilarious as he apparently lost his ability to filter his thoughts and blurted it rather randomly out loud, while Sakura had giggled but there was a look she kept giving him after that. He wasn't entirely sure if he liked that look. It was as though she had just figured out something about him and he had to admit that it made him feel a bit shy. He never did like being under anyone's attention for long. Luckily, he focused on his conversation with Sarada and was able to miss most of Sakura's little secret knowing smiles. Most but not all.

Sarada had asked him what her mom was like when she was her age. He had said that he couldn't say because he hadn't met Sakura until she was 12 years old as her Genin Sensei. This had triggered a new set of questions and soon Sarada was laughing as Kakashi told her funny stories about Sakura and Team 7. He had tried to avoid mentioning Sasuke too much and kept to lighter funny tales, a detail Sakura had noticed and had given him a grateful smile for. She had also added in some funnier stories about Kakashi. He had to admit that he was a bit sad when Sakura said it was time for them to go.

While Sarada got her school stuff from her room and brushed her teeth, he helped Sakura wash the dishes really quickly.

"We should do this again," Sakura had said as she handed him a dish to dry.

"I would like that," he had grinned earning a smile in return.

* * *

Groaning in frustration, Kakashi snapped his book closed and let his head thunk back against the trunk of the tree he was perched in. He had to stop replaying the morning over and over again. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about it all.

As he watched them walk down the street away from him, he had been struck by why that morning had seemed so different to him. They hadn't made him feel like a guest. He had been the guest at many peoples' places before. This was different. This was more. When it had hit him, he had felt like he had the wind knocked out of him.

They had made him feel like family.

 _Family_. It was a strange term with many layers. For him, it was how he remembered feeling when his Father walked in from a mission and scooped him up in his arms. That was the feeling he had for his Father. It was the feeling he got when Minato would always find him when he was sad or troubled and how he would sit silently beside him until Kakashi fell asleep against his arm. That too was the feeling of a Father. It was the feeling he got when Kushina fussed over his cuts and bruises and always tried to get him to eat more vegetables; she was the reason he loved eggplant. That feeling he could only remember having with Kushina, the feeling of what it was like to have a mother. It was the feeling he had now with Naruto; there were several times when some official had walked in the Hokage's office to find Naruto's blonde head locked in Kakashi's headlock. If he had to guess, he'd say that's what it would be like to have a brother.

But then what was this family feeling he got with Sakura and Sarada, this sense of warmth and belonging? It wasn't the same as any feeling he had ever had before, not with Naruto now either. So was "brotherly" not the right way to describe the feelings he got this morning? Or, he wondered as the way Sakura's green eyes danced with mirth as she smiled at one of his stories flashed through his mind, was this even a family feeling at all?

Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face. It was driving him mad.

"Heeello, my eternal rival. What's got you troubled? Your super cool vibe is somehow less vibey today," called (rather loudly) the voice of none other than Maito Gai.

Kakashi, having jumped at the sudden booming voice from so close, shot his friend a pointed look, "Volume, Gai. What have we said about volume?"

"A memory quiz?" He flashed a blinding smile, "Stimulating the mind through pop quizzing. A very youthful exercise! I expect nothing less from my rival." Gai tapped his chin for a moment, "You said that I must use my inside voice when in the Hokage Tower so as not to cause a distraction for those working." He gave a thumbs up upon repeating Kakashi's exact wording.

Kakashi could only shake his head as his obvious hint had completely flown over his friend's bowl-cut head. Instead, his mind drifted back to his previous train of thought causing his brows to furrow as he tried to work it all out in his head.

Seeing that Kakashi was truly troubled by something, Gai sat down as well. A bit of time passed in silence between the two until, Gai began to speak, "I once met a monk who taught me many secrets to youthfulness. I trained with him for 6 months during a mission. During that time, I would ask him to tell me the secret to his training and how he stayed so youthful at such an advanced age. He was 103 and yet he beat me every match without getting a scratch. When I would ask, he would tell me that I had to earn such secrets. With each lesson he taught me, I would always ask for the greatest secret to youthfulness."

Kakashi, who had been listening to his friend's story, asked, "Did he ever tell you?"

"No, he passed away quietly in his sleep, ending my mission early and taking the greatest secret with him," Gai answered matter-of-factly causing Kakashi to nearly fall over in irritation at such an ending. "But!" Gai grinned, "I have found that when something is troubling me and making me feel like less than my youthful self, talking about it helps to lighten the burden."

Kakashi blinked at his green friend, "Gai, that is surprisingly good advice."

He gave a thumbs up, "I am full of surprises, Kakashi."

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head, "Apparently." Sitting up from his recline against the tree trunk, he sighed running a hand through his hair, "The problem is that I am not even sure what the problem is."

Gai nodded sagely, "I think I know what's going on here."

Kakashi merely blinked again, "Nani?" Was it that obvious that Sakura was the focus of his troubles?

"Mhm," Gai flashed a blinding grin again, "The answer is simple, Kakashi."

Blink. "It is?"

"Really, Kakashi, I am amazed you haven't thought of it yourself. Perhaps all that time in Hokage Tower has dulled your usually sharp mind and sullied your intellectual genius," Gai tapped his chin in thought.

Kakashi's brow twitched in annoyance.

"What you have to do is-" Gai said with suspense.

Kakashi waited for his friend's bit of wisdom. Anything to help him figure all of this out.

"-figure out the problem and then fix it," he answered finally with a dramatic thumbs up and a blinding flash of teeth.

Kakashi could mentally see the sweat drop that appeared on his own forehead at Gai's very Gai-like response. "Gee. Thanks. I hadn't thought of that," he sighed before coughing slightly as Gai smacked him on the back effectively knocking the wind out of him unexpectedly.

"No worries, my rival and friend. I'm glad I could help. Now I must be off. There are others to help and laps to run," with a final heroic pose, Gai was gone in a flash of green.

Kakashi sat for a moment before sighing and sitting back into his recline against the tree trunk. "So much for words of wisdom," he muttered as he placed his book over his face in preparation for a nap. At least if he was sleeping, he could get a break from his thoughts.

* * *

 **New chapter!**

 **And Gai! Woo!**

 **Haha. I love Gai. He is ridiculous and hilarious. Kakashi really should've known better than to expect any truly helpful answer from his green friend though. Gai is pretty much just ridiculousness all the time. Though he does have his moments of wisdom oddly enough. This, however, wasn't one of them. Lol**

 **Next chapter, back to Sakura. But what is Kakashi going to do with Gai'sadvice?**


	15. Something Shifts

**A/N: Aright, so far, it looks like a spar and a picnic with the ninkin are winning. Only 5 people have voted, 1 of these by pm. If you are having trouble with the poll, as some are, PM or review and tell me which of these you would like to cast your vote for. (Keep in mind that looking at the selections of the polls, the answers are always in random order so the numbering here has no correlation to the numbering you see on the poll since each time you look at the poll the order will be different.)**

 **1) A picnic in the moonlight in a meadow**

 **2) a relaxing trip to an orchard followed by a picnic**

 **3) a dinner & movie out on the town as a couple**

 **4) a picnic by a waterfall where they take a swim**

 **5) a picnic on top of Hokage mountain**

 **6) a spar and a picnic with the ninkin**

 **7) a picnic at night with fireflies dancing around**

 **8) a spar that ends with a dip in the water**

 **9) dinner at Kakashi's place for the first time**

 **10) I think some of these should be mixed**

 **11) None of these**

 **Okay, so there you go. In case you can't access the poll, here are your choices. I do know that if you are on mobile you have to switch to desktop view to see the poll on my bio page. Other than that, review or PM your votes!**

 **Sorry for the long author's note, but I had to make sure everyone has a chance to cast their votes!**

 **On to the story!**

* * *

 **Something Shifts**

* * *

Sakura hummed to herself as she headed back to her floor and her goal - her office. She had spent all day working in the lab on some samples of pathogens sent over from Suna. Though she loved that aspect of her work, it was not the cause of her chipper attitude. Truth be told, she wasn't really sure what was behind it. She just felt lighter somehow.

Hanging her coat in her office, she prepared to head out to lunch when a knock sounded at her door. "Come in!"

"Sakura-san, there is a visitor for you at the front desk."

"A visitor?" Sakura asked curiously as she grabbed her bag, "Did you catch a name?"

"Gomen, Sakura-san, I didn't think to ask when they paged," Kimiko, a young nurse, looked visibly nervous. She was a new hire and very timid in nature.

Sakura smiled as she patted the girl's arm, "Don't worry, Kimiko-san. I'm headed that way anyways. Next time be sure to catch a name in case it is urgent."

"H-hai, Sakura-san. Thank you, Sakura-san," the girl bowed several times before scurrying back to the nurse's station.

Sakura merely shook her head in amusement. A lot of the new hires were timid, but poor Kimiko reminded her of a young Hinata.

Stepping out of the elevator, she blinked at the small crowd of hospital staff and civilians that had gathered around the front desk. 'What in Kami-sama's name?' The crowd was blocking the way for people to check-in and use the front desk and also blocking her exit. Her brow twitched, a clear signal that she was dangerously close to unleashing her legendary temper.

Her voice made the crowd jump as she called for everyone's attention, "You all better be sick or visiting a family member. This is not a place to loiter. Clear out! And my staff members better get back to work!" At her barking orders, civilians and staff scrambled off.

Stomping up to the desk, she glared at the rightfully nervous receptionists behind the desk causing them to sink into their seats cowering. Her brow ticked again, surely she wasn't that frightening? Blowing out a breath of annoyance, "I had a visitor?"

A throat cleared, "That would be me."

Sakura whirled around to the relief of the receptionists. "Kakashi-sensei!?" she gaped bewildered.

When he only gave a slight eye-crinkle of a smile, she snapped to, immediately looking for injuries, "Where are you hurt? Was it another competition between you and Gai?" Her glowing hands scanned his chest, "You have to take better care of yourself."

At his continued silence and her finding nothing wrong, she glanced up only to freeze. His hand rested on his neck as though he had been rubbing it and he had a soft look to his eye as he peered down at her.

Her face heated. When had his face gotten so close?

Clearing his throat, he sheepishly rubbed his neck before letting it fall to her shoulder, "Gomen, Sakura. I'm not hurt."

"Oh," her face heated more as the glowing of her hands sputtered out though they remained frozen in place on his chest.

He could feel the warmth of them seeping through his shirt as he had foregone wearing his standard issue vest. "I wanted to see if you wanted to grab lunch?" his reason for being there suddenly had him feeling embarrassed. He let his hand move from her shoulder to be shoved into his pockets. Why? How many times now had they gone out to eat? How many times had he waited for her outside of the hospital? He studied her flushed face for answers to his questions as he peered down at her.

Sakura blinked as he spoke her hands falling from his chest as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "O-oh, of course. I was just headed out to lunch."

Green eyes flicked back up to his. He flashed a trademark smile as he made to turn to the door, "Shall we?"

"H-hai," pink locks bobbed as she nodded and hurried after him.

Behind the pair, two nurses shared a knowing grin as the Copy Nin and the Head Medic stepped outside.

* * *

Sakura couldn't help but fidget as they walked. What was normally an easy silence between them seemed somehow loaded today. She couldn't put her finger on what had changed or what could be behind the tension.

"How is Sarada doing?" His voice jarred her from her thoughts and had her jumping. Kakashi lifted a brow at her, "Are you alright? You seem jumpy today."

"H-hai," she glanced away cringing as she stuttered. "I'm fine." She blushed under his eyes as his grey eyes searched her face for a moment, "And Sarada is doing well."

At this he seemed to relent in his searching and an easy smile appeared on his face, "I'm glad. Ah, we're here."

She blinked as she looked up at the sign: Momoko. She didn't recognize the name but she had seen it in passing many times. She smiled as Kakashi opened the door for her. Inside was a traditionally styled place, a small open seating area was at the front and what looked like traditionally closed off tea rooms at the back.

Kakashi stepped up to the podium where the host, an elderly woman dressed in traditional kimono smiled warmly at him, "Kakashi-kun, it is good to see you. It has been a while since you stopped by."

"Gomen, Chie-san," he rubbed his neck sheepishly. Sakura couldn't help the giggle as she watched him look sheepish.

The elderly woman tsked, bringing out a hand fan from seemingly nowhere to whack Kakashi atop his head, "How many times have I told you to call me, Baasan!"

Sakura blinked at the tiny woman, surprised by her spitfire attitude hidden in such a small demure and dressed package... and maybe just a tad amused at the properly chastised look Kakashi had gotten.

"Oh! Kakashi-kun, you brought a girl!" It was humorous how easily he was moved out of the tiny woman's way as she moved to inspect Sakura, "Tell me child, what is your name?"

Sakura flushed, "Uchiha Sakura." She caught Kakashi's gaze over the woman fussing over her only to glare at his obvious enjoyment of it.

Chie-baasan turned to face Kakashi, "She is very beautiful. Don't mess it up!" Smacking his arm as she grabbed two menus from the podium, "Would you like your usual seat or a private room?"

Kakashi stammered rubbing his neck, "The, uh, the usual is fine."

At this, the Chie clucked her tongue disappointedly, "Come along, there is a lovely tea room in the back." She sent Sakura a wink as she drug Kakashi by his arm, "Nice and private."

"Nani? Chie-baasan, I think you've got the wrong idea-"

"You, boy, are hopeless," she tutted as she practically shoved Kakashi into the room before turning to Sakura with a smile, "Here you are, dearie. Let me know if he gives you any trouble."

Sakura caught Kakashi's gaze, her eyes glinting with mischief, "Oh, I will most definitely do that." Sakura tried to stifle down a giggle at the look of utter betrayal Kakashi took on. She bowed, "Thank you, Chie-san."

"Please, dearie, called me Baasan," with another look of warning to Kakashi she left shutting the door after her.

Sakura turned to face Kakashi with a clearly amused smile. he took in his slumped form, his head resting on his palm. She had never seen him look so flustered, "Kakashi-kun, hm?"

He sent her a glare.

Sakura took a seat on one of the plush chairs around the traditional table. "Don't be embarrassed," she laughed, "I think it was rather cute."

"I am wanted in ten countries. I am not cute," he huffed earning another giggle from the pinkette across from him, still seeing her smile had his own mouth quirking up. He was about to speak when a waitress entered.

After they ordered their tea, Sakura watched as he kept fidgeting. Just when she was about to tell him to spit it out, he began, "I've known her for most of my life. I been coming here since I was very young." He hesitated for a moment glancing to see that he had her rapt attention before averting his gaze. "My father and mother used to come here. Then it was my father and I, and finally just me. Though I did stop for a long time after he died." He trailed off as he looked around in thought.

It wasn't lost on her the significance of what he just shared was. Kakashi had never been so open. She couldn't recall ever hearing about his past so willingly. She knew the subject of his childhood and his father was difficult for him. Sure, over the past few months he had shared little tid bits about himself. Tiny comments she had hoarded greedily as though they were bits of gold. It had always been trivial things: His preference to sake over beer. His dislike of cats rooted from a mildly traumatic encounter as a small child, "Never trust cute little old cat ladies when they tell you their cats are friendly. They never are friendly." The fact that he was well read, shockingly so really considering the fact that she had only ever seen him with Icha Icha in hand; yet, he had admitted to often times having a different book disguised as Icha Icha because "The reactions never really get old." Yes, she had learned quite a bit about Kakashi over the past few months, but never anything about his personal history. Never anything like this.

Sakura released a breath, smiling gently as the sound had him looking back to her. She reached across and gave his hand a squeeze. "It is a lovely place. Thank you for bringing me here, Kakashi-sensei." She tensed, unsure how he'd react to her entirely unnecessary touch, nearly holding her breath as she found herself almost waiting for him to bolt as he would've in the past.

He blinked at her hand over his owlishly before meeting her hesitant gaze. Studying her for a minute, she saw him swallow before his hand turned over to grasp hers, "Sakura, I haven't been your team leader for years. Nor have I been your sensei in even longer. I think we can drop the honorifics, ne?"

Surprised at his reaction almost as much as his words, she flushed. His gaze fell to her mouth as she wet her lips before speaking, "Hai, Kakashi." As he released her hand to grab the menu, she tried to ignore how her hand tingled long after and how his knuckles seemed a bit white as he clutched the menu tightly.

After the food was ordered, the tension between them melted away and they easily slipped back into their usual routine of easy chatter and jokes. Once the food was brought in, Sakura hungrily dug in. A pleased moan escaping as the first bite hit her tongue, "Kami-sama, this is good tempura."

"Apparently," the humor evident in his voice. His unusually crisper than usual voice, somehow seeming less muffled.

Sakura glanced quickly up only to squint her eyes suspiciously. His mask was firmly in place though he had obviously eaten as half his plate was already gone. She glared at his cheeky grin before huffing and turning back to her food earning a chuckle of amusement.

"Something wrong Sakura?" his unmuffled voice asked once again, the natural timbre enhanced without the cloth barrier. The difference sent an odd shiver through her.

She knew he was lowering his mask to eat and talking when it was down. No doubt enjoying teasing her with something she had always been curious about. Refusing to glance up, she grumbled, "You can be a real brat, you know that?"

He merely chuckled, "Why Sakura, I don't know what you're talking about."

Glancing up she caught him lowering his hand just as he raised the mask once again, his plate now empty. Her eyes narrowed, "Mhm, whatever you say."

He only smiled as she grumbled about 'teases' and promises to get under his mask one of these days.

* * *

She had enjoyed every bite of her meal, even the tea was exceptional. It had been a lunch full of surprises. It was entertaining to see Chie-baasan treat Kakashi like a child. She was pleasantly surprised when he had decided to share with her the importance of the place to him and his family. She was not so surprised with his teasing, as this was normal between them now. However, some of her reactions to him today had been a bit surprising.

When Kakashi had paid for the whole thing as though it was the most normal thing in the world, Sakura found herself whispering 'kai' just in case this was some genjutsu of some sort. His smile and explanation of "Is it really that odd? I did ask you to lunch after all?" had her second guessing her initial reaction, until she caught Chie-baasan's overly pleased expression.

She had been unable to meet his gaze without feeling her face heat up and a burst of fluttering to take off in her belly. Still, the way he had said it made her wonder if she was just blowing things out of proportion. Maybe this was just another faucet to the new post-war Kakashi and she was only just now seeing it. She eyed him as they walked down the street. Hm, she'd have to asked Naruto if he'd ever been bought lunch. After all, he had paid for several things for her over the course of their renewed... what? Comradery? No. What was this?

A throat cleared and she realized they had stopped walking. "Well," he said awkwardly rubbing his neck, "we're here."

"Hm?" she blinked and looked around. 'Oh, right. The hospital,' her eyes focused back on his, 'he walked me back?' She watched as his hands were shoved back in his pockets.

His awkwardness melted away and his gaze turned warmer, "I hope I didn't keep you out too long."

"Oh!" she glanced at her watched, "No, we are actually right on time." Bewildered that he was on time for anything, she looked at him with raised brows. Maybe he was ill?

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she settled on a smile of her own, "Thank you for taking me to lunch." She glanced down feeling bashful suddenly. Why was her heart racing like this? Maybe she was the one who was sick?

She saw his feet take a step closer. Looking up to him in question, she froze as his fingers hesitated in front of her before brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She searched his dark grey orbs, though for what she wasn't certain.

In return, he searched hers. His hand dropped back to his side as he turned to leave, "See you, Sakura."

And then he was gone, leaving only a puff of smoke and a confused medic.

* * *

 **New chapter!**

 **Well? What do you think?** **They went out to lunch a bunch over the past two months or so, but this time was different.**

 **I hope you liked it! I wanted it to be lightly flirty but cautiously so.**

 **No this is not their first date. It was not a date.** **Kakashi is trying to figure out things, testing the waters. And Sakura is not really sure what is going on yet. It hasn't clicked for her yet.**

 **Oooh, drama. lol**


	16. Girl Talk

**A/N: Voting will be closed upon the following chapter update. Last call for voting now.**

* * *

 **Girl Talk**

* * *

Ino and Hinata shared a look as Sakura sighed into her tea once again. Today, the three friends had planned to get together and catch up since the kids were at a classmate's birthday party. They rarely ever had free time at all and to have it at the same time was nearly unheard of. So it was decided (mostly by Ino because the Hokage estate had the best view) that they'd have lunch at Hinata's home.

After another sigh from Sakura, Ino finally had enough. The blonde stood up and towered over her pink-haired friend, arms braced on the table and face full of a hunger for gossip and a bit of annoyance, "Alright, billboard brow, you've been sighing into your tea for the past 30 minutes."

Sakura looked up from her cup obviously startled, "What?" Honestly, she hadn't realized what she had been doing.

Upon getting dubious stares from her friends, she ran a hand through her hair, "Gomen, I didn't mean to be rude or anything. I'm enjoying being here with you two. It's just, I guess I've got a lot on my mind."

Ino huffed plopping back into her seat, but her expression was full of concern behind her facade of false annoyance.

"D-don't apologize. We understand, really," Hinata spoke up in her soft voice, "If there is anything you need, please, let me or Naruto know. You know you and Sarada are family."

Sakura gave one of Hinata's hands a gentle squeeze, "Thank you. You and Naruto are like family to us as well."

Hinata smiled shyly in return.

"I have been worried about you and Sarada though," Ino admitted as she tapped her nails on her cup. "Inojin told me about Sarada not showing up for class last week. I heard from several people who came in the flower shop that Kakashi-sama found her in that creepy, old Uchiha compound. Is that true?"

Sakura sat back into her seat, her shoulders slouched a bit. She looked out the window by the dining table and gave a nod, "Hai. I was in surgery that day and didn't hear about it until I got off, but Kakashi-sensei was waiting for me and told me what happened."

"K-kami-sama," Hinata gasped.

Ino looked appalled, "That's so... depressing. What on earth made her want to go in there?"

Sakura shrugged slightly, rubbing her forehead with her hand as though fighting off a headache, "I know. I hate that place. It gives me the creeps to be honest." She sighed, "The only thing I can figure is that she was trying to feel closer to Sasuke or maybe that she went looking for answers in there. She heard some pretty nasty things from some parents at the school that morning."

Fists clenched and ready to go, Ino snarled, "Who said what?!"

Sakura shrugged dejectedly, "I don't know who, but I know the what." The fleeting grimace that passed her face had her friends sharing another worried glance between them. "They may have mentioned how he tried to kill Naruto and me during his time with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki," she admitted reluctantly, the very mention bringing back memories she'd rather keep in the past.

Hinata shook her head, "What kind of people would say such things in front of a child?"

"If I find out I'm going to give them a piece of my mind," Ino growled.

Sakura nodded eyes flashing before she smirked, "You'd have to get in line. Kakashi was pretty pissed about it too."

Ino and Hinata shared a look. Grinning slightly at the mention of a cause for certain rumors, Ino leaned towards Sakura, "Kakashi? When did you drop the honorific, hm? You know that's the second or so time you've mentioned him. What's going on with that?"

Hinata flushed at Ino's obviously scandalous implication, "I-Ino."

Sakura scoffed, "You are such a Gossip Queen. Nothing is going on." She rolled her eyes, "Nothing like what you mean anyway."

Ino hummed unconvinced, "Well, I've heard that you've been seen together taking walks and grabbing coffee and breakfasts and lunches. Together. Alone. Laughing and looking cozy."

Sakura looked back to her friends to see them both sitting practically on the edge of their seats waiting for her response. She laughed lightly, "Hinata, not you too."

"W-well, that is what people are saying," Hinata admitted with a blush but her small smile gave her away, she was just as anxious to hear.

"You have been hanging around Ino too much," she laughed. With a sigh, Sakura gave in, "Alright. I'll tell you, but just so you two won't keep looking at me like that." Hinata and Ino giggled. "Yes, all of that is true," two gasps filled the air, "well, except the 'cozy' part cause I'm pretty sure that was intended as more than just being comfortable around each other. But, it is all completely non-scandalous."

"Hm?" Ino tapped her chin, "That's not what I heard. I heard you were seen in his arms as he picked you up for a lunch date from the hospital."

Scoffing, "I was not 'in his arms'. I mean, I was checking him for injury, so I guess we were kind of close, but-," Sakura defended.

"W-well," Hinata spoke up, "I did hear that he went inside the hospital to pick you up."

Running a hand over her face, Sakura groaned, "Yes, he did come in to get me."

"Willingly?!" Ino exclaimed.

"Yes!" Sakura ground out, "But for kami's sake, it was just for our usual lunch!"

Ino let out a long sigh, "Well, that's a bit disappointing."

"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed.

Hinata giggled behind her hand, but Sakura wasn't fooled. She just shook her head, "I swear you two are impossible. For Kami's sake, this is Hatake Kakashi we are talking about. I've seen rocks that are more socially interested than this man." Okay so that was a bit of an over exaggeration, well, more of a falsehood entirely. Kakashi cared about what was going on in other people's lives; he was just too reserved to openly inquire all of the time. That was another tid bit of his personality she had uncovered during their time hanging out together recently. But that he generally didn't give a damn was what was generally believed by most, so she'd play on that misconception now.

"Oooh, so he is a man now and not just a sensei, hmm?" Ino waggled her brows playfully sending Hinata into more giggles.

Sakura face-palmed, "I cannot win in this conversation. Pig, I'm pretty sure he has always been a man. ..." she paused for a moment, "at least I'm pretty sure he has always been a man. I guess it is technically possible for him to have been born a woman, but surely someone would've found it important to tell his medic such information. Tsunade-sama surely would have shared it if nothing el-"

 **"Sakura!"**

She jumped startled, "Kami-sama, woman!" A hand pressed to her chest, she glared at an amused Ino, "What!?"

"You were rambling, just a bit," Hinata stated before nearly snickering into her tea.

Sakura smiled at Hinata's horrible attempt to appear collected when she clearly was on the verge of laughing. She smiled sheepishly, "Gomen. But, as I was saying, I'm pretty certain he has always been a man, but that still doesn't change the fact that he is also my sensei."

" _Was_ your sensei," Hinata stated matter-of-factly earning a wide, pleased grin from Ino and a look of betrayal from Sakura.

"Whose side are you on?" Sakura pouted.

"Naruto-kun's," she answered without missing a beat.

"Cheeky," Sakura huffed. The girls laughed.

After a moment of pause after they settled down, Ino hummed in thought, "So, what you just expect me to believe that the reclusive Hatake Kakashi has suddenly decided that making friends is a fantastic idea?"

"Basically," Sakura shrugged earning a scoff from the blonde.

Hinata cleared her throat looking completely serious, "I believe it is possible. He did the same thing when he took Naruto-kun under his tutelage for Hokage."

Ino waved it off, "That's entirely different. He did that to train him for taking over the position."

"Yes, at first," Hinata nodded, "However, Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sama ended up becoming very close. Naruto once admitted that Kakashi felt more like an older brother to him now. They act as such as well. I've had to witness them get caught roughhousing in the Hokage Office by the council members several times," she giggled a bit at that.

Something as playful as roughhousing was not something she could envision Kakashi ever taking part in. He was always professional, friendly, yes, but playful? Sakura let out a puff of air in astonishment, "Wow, I had no idea." Had he really changed that much after the war?

"Really," Ino nodded. "So, why now?" she asked curiously glancing to Sakura.

"I'm not sure," Sakura shrugged still a bit floored by Hinata's words, "I guess maybe because he felt bad about not knowing what was going on in my life."

Ino scoffed, "Well, that's silly. Nobody knew you and Sasuke weren't working out."

"I know," Sakura nodded, "and I told him that but I think it's more than that."

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata.

Sakura's brows bunched as her expression twisted to show her frustration, "I don't know for sure. I have some theories, but-"

"Well, come on tell us one," Ino interrupted impatiently.

"I think Kakashi has forgotten what's it's like to be truly happy," Sakura spoke finally. It was only part of her theory behind what was going on with Kakashi, but it was the easiest to explain.

Ino looked confused, "Forgotten how to be happy? Why would you think a thing like that? He always seemed dull in the personality department to me, but I wouldn't say he looked unhappy."

Hinata, however, had leaned forward in interest, "I think you might be onto something, Sakura."

Sakura perked at this, "You think so?"

"Well, besides you, Sakura," Ino thought aloud, "Hinata here and Naruto have been around him the most. If anyone could pick up something about him, it would be one of you," Ino added sagely.

Hinata nodded, "Y-yes, well, I may have noticed something." She fidgeted shyly, "I noticed that when he was here with Naruto-kun and I and the children, he seemed a bit, w-well..."

"What is it?" Sakura pleaded, "Anything at all may help."

Hinata nodded, "It's just that, he got this look sometimes. It's, well, it's hard to explain. It's like he was taking in how we acted around each other, like," she paused as though thinking, "as though he was in awe almost and curious at the same time. It was as though he was seeing it all for the first time. A-and sometimes, he looked a bit sad almost. It reminded me of Sai-san in a way."

Sakura had sat back with a sad smile, while Ino just looked confused, "Seeing what for the first time? I don't get it. Sakura, why do you look so sad?"

"So I was right," Sakura sighed solemnly.

Hinata nodded also looking a bit down.

"Would somebody explain what is going on?" Ino exclaimed.

"He doesn't remember what it's like to have people close to him, Ino. People who are like family," Sakura explained.

The blonde promptly snapped her mouth closed and slouched, "Wow. That is depressing."

Sakura hummed in agreement, "I noticed the same thing the other day. I didn't tell you, but he did spend the night that day that Sarada ran off." She shot a quick glare to Ino who had shot up with a lecherous grin, "He offered to stay while I spoke with her, for support," she emphasized, "and ended up falling asleep on my couch. The following morning you should've seen him when I had him help with getting things ready for breakfast. He looked like a skittish boy and a haunted man all at once."

"Naruto-kun told me a bit about Kakashi-sama's past. It is possible that he pushed memories like that away in order to protect himself from the pain of loss," Hinata added.

Ino let out a breath, "I heard stories from my father about what happened with Kakashi's father and at such a young age. It really is tragic."

"Then when the Fourth and Naruto-kun's mother was lost," Hinata mentioned another part that she had learned.

Ino winced, "Losing your Sensei is awful, but to lose him the way he did too."

Sakura frowned sadly. But Hinata shook her head, "No, it's more than that."

Sakura looked curious, "What do you mean?"

"Hm? Oh, I forgot that it wasn't something you may know," Hinata apologized before explaining, "Kakashi-sama was adopted by Namikaze Minato and Lady Kushina after his father..." Her voice trailed off.

Sakura blinked.

"What? No way!" Ino exclaimed, "But then the Kyuubi attacked and they- oh," she slumped.

"Yeah," Sakura sighed, "oh."

"That's awful," Ino frowned.

"I think all of this has something to do with why he has been hanging around me all of a sudden," Sakura spoke after a long moment of silence between them. She explained, "Think about it. The war threw a lot of Kakashi's past in his face. His teammate turning up alive and on the bad side. Then his old sensei and, apparently, adoptive father the Fourth is brought back. Can you imagine?"

Hinata looked crestfallen.

Ino rubbed her arms as though to comfort herself.

"I'm sure that all of that had to make him change in some way. I mean, look at him and Naruto," she added.

Hinata gave a nod as she smiled softly, "They have become close."

"Like brothers, you said, right?" Ino asked.

Hinata nodded again.

"Right, and now, he is reaching out to me," Sakura said.

"But why?" Ino asked. "Naruto makes sense. They practically are brothers and would have been raised that way if the Fourth had lived. But why you?"

Sakura shrugged, "What's the closest thing to family we all have? Even before friends."

"Teammates," Hinata and Ino spoke at the same time.

Sakura nodded, "Exactly."

Ino thought for a moment, "Now that you mention it, your team always did have some distance between you guys. And I don't mean physically," she added in regards to Sasuke leaving and being far away.

"It's like he used to keep us at arm's length," Sakura admitted. "To be honest, if we learned anything about him, it was during the war or from others, he never told us about his life." She tapped her fingers on the table, "But now, I've learned more about him from his own mouth in the past two months than I have in all the years I've known him." She smiled to herself, "He actually has a pretty funny sense of humor."

Ino snorted, "To be friends with a guy like Gai, he'd have to."

They laughed because, really, it was true.

"So what are you going to do?" Ino asked.

"What do you mean?" Pink brows bunched in confusion.

"About all of this with Kakashi-sama," Ino rolled her eyes as if to say 'duh'.

Sakura shrugged, "I'm not sure what I can do about it."

Hinata cleared her throat softly earning the attention of the other two, "I have an idea." She flushed when two pairs of eyes fixed on her curiously. "W-well, I know that he was there to give you support, but, maybe, he is the one who needs your support more."

Sakura thought for a moment before smiling, "Hinata, you're a genius."

Hinata flushed under the praise.

"Well, one thing is for certain," Ino smirked, "If you're gonna be around him, can you finally find out what's under that damned mask!"

"Tch, as if I'd tell you, Ino-pig," Sakura scoffed earing a rude gesture from Ino before they erupted into giggles.

There was a moment of comfortable silence as the girls each were consumed by their thoughts.

"Soo~ did he pay for lunch?"

"Ino!" Sakura growled out.

* * *

 **Tada! New Chapter!**

 **This is kind of a part 1. It was way too long to have all together so I will post the next part tomorrow!**

 **Vote and comment and as always, thank you for reading!**


	17. A Day Off

**A/N: Polls are closed! Results are in! Poll votes mixed with review and PMs have resulted in the "mixing some of the options". Therefore, the top 2 results will be combined to create a unique date for our favorite pair. I am keeping the results a surprise until the chapter, but I will say that these two will combine nicely and were only 1 vote away from being tied.**

 **I'm excited to write it out now! Until then, enjoy some fluff as a reward!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **A Day Off**

* * *

A few days since her talk with Ino and Hinata, Sakura awoke for her day off feeling like she had been hit by a bus. The preparations for the new Hospital wing was reaching whirlwind status as last minute hiring and organizing was being crammed into her already busy work load. She hadn't even had time to go out for her now routine lunches with Kakashi. It was something that she realized she really looked forward to, and now without them, her days seemed longer.

That first day her lunch was taken hostage, she had sent him a messenger with a note sending her apologies and cursing inept board members for making her job harder. She was even more miffed about her hijacked lunch because now she would be forced to eat cafeteria food. 'Bleh' just did not cover it. So, when she had walked into her office at lunch time to grab her wallet only to see a take-out bag containing the heavenly tempura from Momoko's along with a little note featuring Kakashi's little smiling scarecrow kanji, she could honestly say that if had he been there she would've kissed him. A joking thought that instantly both floored her (because that joke of a thoughts set loose a flock of butterflies in her belly) and had her blushing hard enough to match her hair (because really? Awkward, eccentric Kakashi had her blushing at her own thoughts now? Really?). That first bite of tempura, however, was worth the troubling thoughts.

As each subsequent day brought another take-out lunch and another smiling scarecrow in chicken scratch handwriting, she decided that she really needed to figure out what was going on with her feelings and thoughts. She needed to get her head on straight.

She wasn't so out of touch with her emotions to not know what those little rushes were that she had been getting around him lately. She had been married before after all. She knew well enough what physical attraction was, and while she was surprised to discover that she was apparently physically attracted to her eccentric ex-temleader, in many ways, she really wasn't that surprised. Any woman who was into men and had at least one functioning eye could see quite clearly that Hatake Kakashi was physically attractive. Ino had often called him her "Sexy-sensei" and really, she wasn't wrong. She often witnessed women practically throwing themselves at the man. Although, many fled thoroughly scandalized when he merely flashed an eye-crinkled smile while pulling out his orange covered companion. That fact that Kakashi was a very attractive man, though logical, didn't stop her from flushing as she admitted it to herself.

Instead, what she was finding hard to wrap her head around was the fact that things he did, or said, or really just being in his presence lately, had begun to set loose a fluttering in her stomach that was more telling and game changing than mere physical lust. It was far more reckless, far more dangerous. His little quirks that should really make her blanch, and often had as a young genin, had now become endearing traits of one of her favorite people.

She groaned rubbing her temples. If she was beginning to find Kakashi's eccentricities endearing, she was in trouble. More troubling than her apparent new crush, was the issue of how she was going to deal with it. He was a sharp man, a genius. She'd only be able to excuse away her fumbling blushes for so long. Eventually, he'd figure it out.

That was what she was really concerned about. Her silly crush could end up costing her this new friendship with Kakashi, and she wasn't about to let anything risk that.

Resolved, Sakura cast a glance at her clock. It was nearly 11, "Kuso," with a groan she rolled out of bed and made her way to her shower. She needed to wash away her stress from the week, to wash away work, and maybe if she turned the heat up enough, wash away this annoying feeling that she was getting in over her head.

Once she was looking like one of the living and not a rough reanimation jutsu, Sakura made her way into the living room to find Sarada studiously working on homework. She placed a kiss to the young girl's hair, "Hey, baby girl. Have you eaten lunch?"

"Hey mama," Sarada's soft smile made Sakura turn to mush, "No, I haven't yet. I've been working on my assignment for Genjutsu studies. I'm almost done though."

"Almost finished," Sakura corrected tussling Sarada's onyx-colored locks in a way not unlike Kakashi used to do her. There he was again, popping up in her thoughts. She shook her head as she went to make coffee, "Well, I was thinking about maybe having a picnic in the training grounds and maybe doing a bit of training. What do you think?"

Sarada nearly spun right out of her chair. Her dark eyes widening in excitement, even as she remained seemingly calm in almost every other way. She took after her father in many ways. Still, Sakura could hear the slight excited lilt to her voice, "Really?" It had been a while since she had seen such a glimmer of childish glee in her daughter's eyes. It was a look that she hoped to keep there for as long as she possibly could. Innocence was something that Ninja lost young, and with Sarada being 10, it would only be two more years before she'd be eligible for Genin testing.

With an amused nod, she watched over her mug as her daughter sped through the remainder of her work before fast walking down the hall to get dressed.

* * *

Stepping foot onto training ground three with her daughter at her side, Sakura couldn't help but feel as though things really had finally come full circle. Life had a funny way of doing that she supposed.

Glancing to Sarada she laughed softly when she saw how the young girl was nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation, "Alright then, let's do some warm ups. Why don't you show me some of the warm ups you've been taught so far? After that, we will run through some taijutsu exercises."

"Hai," was Sarada's calm reply, but the quirking of her mouth upwards as she sprinted to the center of the field gave her away.

* * *

Sarada flopped down into the grass beneath a tree. She was breathing hard, sweat had coated her making her feel gross, and her glasses were annoyingly smudged. Trying in vain to clean the lenses with her shirt, she looked to the hand extending a bottle of water above her head. Startled, she let out a gasp, "Kakashi-sama?" Returning her glasses to her face, she blinked at the odd image he made.

Upside down and hanging on with chakra to the bottoms of his feet, Kakashi's hair stood an end and he peered down at her, "Yo, Sarada-chan."

Accepting the water, she eyed him, "What are you doing hanging up there like that?"

"Hm?" he hummed eyes creasing under her scrutinizing gaze, "I'm seeing what it's like to live life as a bat."

"For what purpose?" her skeptism seemed to have been replaced by genuine curiosity.

"Eh?" Kakashi blinked. Most at this point just shrugged off his peculiar answers. "Why, to see what it is like in their shoes, of course."

"Kakashi-sama, you're kinda weird."

"Eh heh heh," he scratched his neck chuckling. At the furrowing of her brows as she went back to watching her mother, Kakashi sighed. What ever happened to kids thinking he was cool? Dropping down to stand beside her, "Training hard, Sarada-chan?"

Setting down the now empty water bottle, she sat up to watch her mother flashing around the field in blurs of pink. "Hai, though I don't think I did very well," she admitted with a sigh, before looking up to Kakashi, "Kakashi-sama? Why does mama work at the hospital if she was such an amazing kunoichi like Tenten-sensei taught us in school?"

Oh boy. Kakashi watched Sakura's form dance around the field. It was not a simple answer and he was not certain it was his place to really say. He settled for the parts he thought were safe enough. "Well," he settled to sit down and lean against the tree trunk by Sarada. How did he seem to always get in these positions with kids?

He cleared his throat, "It is true that your mother is very talent kunoichi. She passed me up a long time ago," he smiled to himself watching her powerful taijutsu movements.

"That can't be right," Sarada frowned as she thought, "You were Hokage."

"Being an amazing ninja isn't everything," He looked back to the small girl plucking at blades of grass beside him, "There are somethings more precious than any kind of power or fame." He tussled her hair, "She has you. I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager that you are more important to her than any amount of fame or power."

Sarada sulked as she swatted his hand away, but her red cheeks and tiny smile, gave away how much his words meant to her.

A shift in the wind and the crunching of grass had Kakashi's head whipping to face forward.

Hands on her hips, Sakura was smiling softly down at him, "Not filling her head with junk, I hope?"

Kakashi scoffed hand to his chest in mock offense, "Why Sakura, I would never."

"Mhm," green eyes rolled before landing on her daughter, "How are you feeling, baby girl?"

"Better," the young girl blushed, "Kakashi-sama gave me his water bottle."

Sakura sent Kakashi a grateful smile, "That was kind of him. Did you say thank you?"

Sarada looked over to Kakashi, "Gomen, Kakashi-sama," she murmured embarrassed.

Kakashi chuckled tussling her hair, "Anytime, Sarada-chan."

"So, what brings you out here, Kakashi?" Sakura asked as she stretched out her arms a bit. Her exercise had tightened her shoulder muscles a bit.

Kakashi tried not to watch the way the sweat made her simmer in the sunlit. Clearing his throat, he shrugged, "Nice day out."

At this Sarada turned to face him confused, "What about your study of bats, Kakashi-sama?"

Kakashi flushed as his own silly response came back to bite him in the butt, "Eh, yes, well, that too."

Sakura snorted, "Since when do you study bats?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her obvious humor at the situation. Why she found him looking silly in front of her child to be so funny he'd never understand. "Since today," he pursed his lips at her eye roll, unsure why he suddenly had the urge to show off a tad.

"Actually, Sarada-chan," Kakashi turned to the young girl, "I was training as well."

"By hanging upside down?" an unconvinced lifting of a tiny brow reminding him of Sakura had him sending an amused look to said pinkette.

"Yup," he grinned before standing. "I was practicing my chakra control," he brought his hands up holding the seal for this particular technique. "You see, when you can focus the right amount of chakra to the bottoms of your feet," he sent his chakra to his feet making sure to add a bit of flourish so that a swirl of air swiveled around them, "you can do pretty amazing things. Like walking up a tree, for instance." He said as he walked right up the trunk of the tree before stopping hanging upside down above the pair like he had been before.

Sarada seemed enthralled, "That makes much more sense than studying bats. Why didn't you just say that before?"

Sakura laughed, "Why indeed, Kakashi-sama?"

Kakashi plopped back down, a pout over his features, "Sakura-chan, remember when you used to respect me?"

"Mah," she scoffed slapping a hand to his back lightly, "You'll get over it."

Kakashi slouched as Sarada giggled, "So mean to your poor old sensei."

"Oh please, you are not old," Sakura rolled her eyes, eyeing him with humor, "Does this act actually work on anyone?"

His pout was a little more real this time, "Actually, yes." Was she that unfazed by him? That was a bit more disheartening than he expected.

"Oh kami-sama," Sakura sighed before looping an arm through one of his, "Come on Sarada-chan, I am starving and I am not feeling much like a picnic anymore. How does taking our poor, dear, old Kakashi-sama out to dinner sound?" He gave her side a light pinch at that earning a squeak.

Sarada watched as her mom gave Kakashi-sama a glare as she rubbed her side. She saw how Kakashi-sama's eyes looked softer at her mama when her mom turned back toward her. Thinking for a moment about what she had just seen, she decided that she liked Kakashi-sama. He was nice, and sure, he was a bit goofy, but she liked that he looked at her mama in that soft way. It reminded her of how her mama looked at her sometimes.

Brushing off her shorts, Sarada stood to her feet with a smile, "Hai, that sounds like fun."

As Sarada turned to skip out of the training ground, Kakashi leveled a soft smile at Sakura, "Are you sure you want me to tag along? I don't want to interrupt your family time."

Sakura gave his arm a squeeze as they followed Sarada. Her other hand coming up to pat his forearm, "Kakashi, you silly man, you are family." Letting go of his arm, Sakura swooped down to give Sarada a piggyback ride earning a rare spill of laughter from the young Uchiha.

Kakashi stood frozen watching them as Sakura's words washed over him like a warm blanket. His heart had clenched tightly. As Sarada looked back and waved him on, Sakura flashing him that all-to-knowing but warm smile over her shoulder at him, the clenching burst outwards flooding him with a feeling he hadn't felt before. Or at least not in a very, very long time.

"Hai," he whispered to himself as he went to follow after them, "I guess I am."

* * *

 **Gah! My heart! I made myself a ball of mush on this one.**

 **I wanted to show that Kakashi is not just falling for Sakura, but for Sarada too. And now I feel all sappy. Wah! D':**

 **How cute was this though!**

 **Sarada is a sharp little cookie isn't she? heh heh**


	18. Absent

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the Naruto universe. Still working on my plan to fix that. _ '**

* * *

 **Absent**

* * *

After that Saturday evening she had invited Kakashi to come eat dinner with her and Sarada, Sakura had been busy with the Hospital most of the following week. However, that Wednesday, she had time for the first time in forever and she had sent him a messenger that she was free for lunch. She knew he may have had plans already, so when she didn't get a reply in time for her break, she hadn't thought anything of it. It was super short notice after all. However, when she had sent his RSVP out the next day for his attendance to the grand opening ceremony of the Naruto Children's Wing that was taking place that following Monday, and she still hadn't gotten a reply by the Saturday night before, she began to get a bit agitated.

Naruto had asked her almost every day if Kakashi had RSVP'd yet and if he was coming. She had said no he hasn't replied yet, but she knew he wouldn't miss it. It had appeased the worry in Naruto, but had only served to turn her annoyance into a bit of ire. When the ceremony had taken place and she had seen neither hide nor hair of Kakashi's shock of silver locks, and his seat she had gone ahead and reserved remained empty there in the front row, she had decided that she was passed annoyance and irritation and had taken a nose-dive straight into pissed off.

Before now the longest they had gone without spending some time together, since he had taken such an interest in her life, had been a single day. Now it was quickly nearing a month, the last week of which Sakura had stopped trying to send him messengers only to have them either not be able to find him or to simply not get a reply. She was pissed. She was hurt. She was pissed that she was hurt.

Unfortunately for those around her, Sakura had never been very good at hiding her emotions. Today at the Hospital during a board meeting, she had nearly made several members piss themselves. After, it had been with an amused look that Shizune suggested Sakura take the rest of the day off. After all, she was also making the patients nervous with the sheer amount of seething rage that permeated from her like a thick fog. Nurses had ducked out of her way as she stomped pass. Several nin had to be restrained because they kept insisting that "No, really I'm fine" in an effort to avoid her lashing out at them during treatment.

"What?" Sakura pouted though the effect was more of a scowl than sulky, "I am not scaring people." She scoffed as she tapped her foot impatiently.

Shizune's amusement only increased, "Oh?" She smirked, "Is that so?" At the petulant nod she received in response, she grabbed the fuming younger woman's shoulders before whirling her around, "And this is normal?" She asked indicating the way people, who had been listening which was effectively the whole hallway, scurried out of the hall or scrambled to look busy.

Sakura blinked. "Fine," she huffed, "but you can keep the board off my back about the paperwork I'm not going to be able to finish."

Outside in the village, heavy footfalls had people once again scurrying out of the way of the now more furious Sakura. She had decided she was going to find that obstinate, silver-haired brat and ask him why he decided to go back to ignoring her existence and hurting Naruto. She planned to make sure he knew that he had caused her to have to leave work early. And for what? Because he swooped into her life and meddled for two months only to vanish just as quickly?

Grumbling threats and promises of bodily harm, she searched along their normal hangout spots: Ichiraku, the training grounds, the bridge, the coffee shop, each of the cafés they had gone to, the Memorial stone, on top of Hokage Mountain, even that tea shop he had taken her to last. Still, no Kakashi. She was running out of ideas.

Dejectedly, and a bit tired from all of the stomping around the village, Sakura sat with her knees pulled up to her chin. Looking out across one of the small lakes in the village, her anger fizzled out and hurt settled in. She was beginning to realize that maybe their newfound friendship really wasn't what she thought it was. Maybe he was just trying to make sure she was okay because of her and Sasuke's divorce. Surely being around her and Sarada could do nothing but shove his painful past in his face. She began to feel worse and worse. Had she inadvertently rubbed in his face the fact that he didn't have a family? What kind of horrible person was she? How was she supposed to help him if he didn't want to hang around her anymore? She felt childish and stupid, but mostly hurt. Little as she cared to admit, Kakashi's nonchalant attitude and overbearing sense of indifference in regards to her had always bothered her. Now it seemed she was once again brushed off by someone she had looked up to and worse, grown to care about. If the painful clenching of her chest was any indication, she had probably started to care a bit more than she should have.

"Sakura-chan?"

She sucked in a breath and quickly wiped at the wetness of her eyes before using her best chipper voice, "H-hey!" She cleared her throat, "Hey Naruto! How's it going?" She turned to give him a forced smile. Her expression however faltered when she met with the 'do-you-seriously-think-you-are-hiding-anything' look he was giving her. She sighed and faced the water as he plopped down beside her.

Scratching his neck, he thought about what to say, "Sakura-chan, I need to talk to you."

She hummed to indicate she was listening.

"Well," he struggled with his words, "I know that you and Kakashi-sensei are closer now." He pretended not to notice how she flinched though it did peak his curiosity, "It's just that. I haven't seen him for about two weeks and, well, I guess I'm kind of worried." He admitted, "He is not just my old sensei and team leader anymore, dattebayo. He is like the weird, pervy, but kinda awesome older brother that I never had. I just want to make sure he is alright. He usually comes by at least twice a week to say hi, and the last time he came he seemed distracted and looked a bit rough." He watched her in silence for a moment. Whatever reaction he was expecting -explosive anger or witty remark- her sitting there like a wilted flower wasn't it. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sakura-chan?"

"You're going to have to find someone else," she spoke finally in a flat voice.

His brows bunched in confusion, "W-what?"

"I said find someone else," she repeated just as flatly before standing. "I've got to get things for dinner tonight and Sarada will be home soon," turning to walk away, she spoke, "Sorry, Naruto."

Naruto sat there staring at her receding back with mixed emotions. He was a bit hurt that she had basically snubbed him, but his confusion and concern for her behavior had him quickly ignoring his own feelings. It wasn't until her head of pink disappeared entirely that it hit him.

With a big sigh, Naruto stood. He didn't know what was going on with Sakura, but he had a pretty good idea that Kakashi-sensei had something to do with it.

Chakra to his feet, Naruto took to the rooftops. If he couldn't find Kakashi, he knew who could.

* * *

By the time Naruto had checked everywhere he could think to check and had finally given in and decided to pull in an expert. He was passed concerned and quick approaching pissed. He had no clue what had gotten into his teammates but he was not about to let them drift a part. He'd drag them back kicking and screaming for all he cared.

Dropping in the ground in the middle of the training ground, Naruto spotted his target, "Ah! Gai-sensei!" he called to the green blur flitting around the field.

With a dramatic flip, Gai landed before Naruto flashing a way too bright smile and a thumbs up, "What can I do for you, my youthful Hokage? Do you wish to train? Your dedication to youthfulness is truly inspiring! To show that I too am dedicated to protecting the beautiful fiery youth of our village, I will do 100 laps of jump squats around the village while carrying a 500 lbs weight. Would you care to join me, my youthful Hokage?"

Naruto sweat-dropped, "N-nani? Eh, no." He sighed, "Actually, Gai-sensei, I~" He watched the man start doing squats while waiting for his answer. Shaking his head, "Do you know where Kakashi-sensei is? I've looked everywhere for him. I'm haven't seen him for a while."

At this Gai paused in his workout, "Hm, yes, my eternal rival is excellent at not wanting to be found. Alas, I haven't seen him today," he thought for a moment, "now that I think about it, I haven't seen him for a couple of weeks since he asked me for some advice."

Naruto jolted, "N-nani!? Kaka-sensei asked you for advice!? About what?"

At this Gai began to sob, "It seems something has been troubling my good rival's heart. He was looking less than his usual self."

Brow twitching at the hysterics, Naruto couldn't help but feel this might actually be important, "Well, I need to find him. It's urgent. If you spot him, tell him he has been summoned and to report to the Hokage immediately."

Sobbing Gai saluted, "Hai, my youthful Hokage! I will find Kakashi for you or I will do 5000 one-handed push-ups."

* * *

Grumbling about Kakashi's odd choice of friends, Naruto landed outside of Kurenai-sensei's home. Knocking, he heard feet approaching before the door was unlocked.

"Hokage-sama?" the woman looked a bit shocked to have him at her door, "Is everything alright?"

"Hai, Kurenai-sensei, sorry to trouble you. I was hoping you may have seen Kakashi-sensei today," he asked hopefully. He knew that Kakashi often came back to check on Kurenai and his late friend's daughter.

At Kurenai-sensei's frown, his own smile faded, "Gomen, Naruto-sama. I haven't seen him for a good many days at the least." She thought for a moment, "Oh! Maybe ask Genma. They are drinking buddies sometimes. Maybe he will know where he is at."

Naruto nodded, a bit deflated. He really wanted to find Kakashi, but he had always been good at not being found. "Arigato, Kurenai-sensei. I will do that."

With a quick goodbye, Naruto leapt across the rooftops. Genma was sure to be at home with Shizune. If he did know where to find Kakashi-sensei, Naruto didn't have a choice but to get some ANBU involved.

* * *

"That idiot!" Genma slammed his fist down on the table.

"Genma! Calm down!" Shizune chastised earning a sheepish smile from her husband.

"Gomen, koi," he apologized before turning back to a startled Naruto. "I can't believe that idiot hasn't even checked in. He knows that he can't just disappear. What if there was an emergency?!" He released a breath of tension as Shizune rubbed his shoulders relaxing him a bit, that is before he jolted, "There isn't an emergency is there?!"

Naruto rubbed his neck, "well, not like what you are thinking, but it is urgent. I'm worried about him, dattebayo. It's not like him to just fall off the face of the earth like this. And Sakura-chan is hurt. And he did miss the ceremony at the Hospital." He slammed his fist into his hand, "I know Gai-sensei said something about something bothering Kakashi-sensei's heart or something like that, but I won't let Kaka-sensei turn his back on his teammates or his friends, 'tebayo!"

"Nani?" Shizune asked confused, "something bothering his heart?"

Naruto scratched his head, "I dunno. To be honest, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. What could be bothering Kaka-sensei's heart? Surely, Sakura-chan would know if he was sick or something."

Shizune gasped, "Sakura! Of course!"

"Hm?" Genma sent his wife a bewildered look, "You don't mean-?"

Shizune shrugged even as a huge smile worked its way across her face, "It is a bit too much of a coincidence, ne?"

Genma twirled the senbon in his mouth, "Hm, I guess the timing is a bit odd." He grinned, "And there have been rumors. Ouch!" He rubbed his arm. Shizune had a strong right hook. "I'm just saying, you may be onto something. And if that's what has gotten to the old Scarecrow, then I may just know where to find him."

"Yes, well, I did send Sakura home early. She has been on a rampage all day," Shizune nodded sagely.

"Nani? Scarecrow? Rumors? What is going on? What does this have to do with where Kaka-sensei is?" Naruto looked back and forth between Shizune and Genma.

Standing Genma pat Naruto on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Hokage-sama. I think I know where to find him. If I'm wrong I'll let you know." And with that he was gone. Leaving behind a contemplative Shizune and a completely confused Naruto.

* * *

 **Drama! Kinda? A bit. I wanted to bring in some other characters for a bit. I hope this worked out like I hoped. Thoughts?**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**

 **Rate and review my cute little readers you. :3**


	19. Finding An Idiot

**A/N: thank you all for your reviews and PMs. I can't believe this story has already gotten nearly 60 reviews and over 6k reads. You guys rock.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to each and every one of you. Thank you.**

 **~Cherry**

* * *

 **Finding An Idiot**

* * *

Across the village, in a well-known bar that had been a staple in the Shinobi community for as long as the village had existed, sat a lone brown-haired man at the darker corner of the long bar. He had striking purple marking on his face, their color making the golden hazel of his eyes more striking. At the corner of his frown was a small beauty mark. He was attractive and had caught the eye of several waitresses and patrons, however, the aura radiating off of him kept everyone at bay.

Waving down the bartender, he asked for the rest of the sake he had been nursing. Said bottle, however, was snatched away as someone dared to sit on the stool next to his.

"You're an idiot," Genma stated as he filled the cup the bartender had set out for him. Ignoring the glare that made enemy shinobi run in fear, he continued, "I don't know what you have gone and gotten yourself into, but you've had the Hokage running around the village hunting for you all day."

At this the brown-haired man ran a hand through his wavy haired before letting out a disgruntled huff, "Naruto should worry about his duties and not keeping tabs on his old sensei."

Genma scoffed, "One of his top shinobi disappearing for days without anyone being able to find him, including an ANBU detail, is his concern. Really, Hatake, what's crawled up your ass to make you so damn grouchy? I've haven't seen you this moody since your ANBU days."

Hazel eyes narrowed, "Watch it, Genma."

"Oh come off it, man," Genma rolled his eyes entirely done with his friend's attitude, "You might be an ex-Hokage, but you are and will always be my friend first and foremost." He watched as some of the sharpness left Kakashi's disguised eyes. "Now then," he slapped his friend on the back, "tell your good pal, Genma, why Gai has been spouting about something interfering with his glorious rival's youthful heart or some shit, and why you're hiding out in here in your Sukea disguise while you're at it."

Kakashi grimaced, "He hasn't."

Genma grinned, "Oh, he has."

Pouring another cup, Kakashi stared at the bar in thought, "What would you do if you wanted something that you know you shouldn't?"

Genma studied Kakashi for a moment, Shizune's words from earlier passing through his thoughts. "Well," he sighed thinking maybe he wasn't the best person to give this kind of advice, "that depends. Why shouldn't you want it?"

Kakashi let out a dark scoff, "Because it's too pure. It dwells in the light and I've always been the darkness." He clenched his hands, "The things I've done, Genma… If anyone really knew what I have done in them name of my village, I don't think any of you would be so quick to call me a friend."

"Bullshit."

Kakashi blinked, "What?"

"I said, bullshit," Genma's face hard leaving no room for argument. "We all have done shit, Kakashi. We are ninja. You think you're the only one who spent time in ANBU? You think you're the only who has killed people just because the mission dictated it?" At Kakashi's mouth opening to protest, Genma shook his head, "No, you shut up and listen. That is what it means to be a ninja. We are the shadows. We do the things that others can't do to protect the innocents of our village, to ensure that the children can grow up and live and not die at the end of a sword."

"You don't have to tell me that," Kakashi growled out between clenched teeth, "I've worn the Hokage robes. I know exactly what goes into ensuring that the clueless civilians are able to continue living in their blissfully oblivious lives."

"Good, then you know how full of shit that excuse is," Genma growled right back.

Kakashi deflated. He couldn't argue facts. No matter how much he wanted to.

"Now then," Genma sipped his sake, "why don't you tell me the real reason you are running from Uchiha Sakura, hm?" Kakashi startled and Genma clucked his tongue, "And don't try to bullshit a bullshiter."

Sighing, Kakashi ran a hand over his face in defeat, "Kami-sama, am I that obvious?"

Genma pointed at himself with a grin, "Ninja. Plus, you're surrounded by ninja. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's been going on. Plus, Sakura had to be sent home from the hospital today."

Kakashi turned sharply at this, "Is she alright?"

Chuckling, Genma pat his shoulder, "Settle down, Prince Charming. Your damsel is fine. Pissed," he chuckled again, "but fine."

"Kuso," Kakashi slouched back in his seat, "Do I even want to know?"

"Eh," Genma tapped his chin. Really he was enjoying this a bit too much, "Shizune may have mentioned that Sakura's fuming and stomping was scaring the patients and medical staff." At Kakashi's grimace, Genma's grin grew, "The real question is why would you be risking bodily harm by enraging Sakura?"

Kakashi's fingers tapped on the bar as he glared at its surface, "I may have been avoiding her."

"Hn," Genma nodded, "For how long exactly?"

Another grimace, "A few weeks."

Genma sputtered on his drink, "Weeks? Do you have a death wish!? Why in Kami-sama's name would you go and do that?"

"It's complicated," Kakashi glowered.

"Is it?" Genma asked bewildered, "Or are you just making it complicated?" Ignoring a glare of warning, he continued, "Because the way I see it, Sakura is a grown ass woman and can make her own damn decisions about who she spends her free time with. Or is it more than just spending time together that's gotten your panties in a twist?" At the absence of a retort, Genma's mouth dropped causing his senbon to fall, "Holy shit!" He popped another senbon in, "You like her, you dog!" He whooped, slapping Kakashi on the back.

Kakashi huffed, face heated a bit, "Would you keep it down?"

Genma clutched his sides, "Yes, because everyone knows who you are dressed like that. Loosen up some man. No one would care anyways."

"Tsk," Kakashi scoffed, "Really because I beg to differ. I am 12 years her senior, her genin sensei, her ex-teamleader, her ex-Hokage for Kami's sake."

Genma rolled his eyes, "For Kami's sake indeed, if ex-Hokage is anything to go by then the entire population of Fire Country is off limits to you. Don't glare at me like that, you know I'm right."

"Fine, the Hokage bit notwithstanding, I hardly think people will turn a blind eye to the rest," Kakashi tossed back his full cup before refilling it again.

Taking a deep breath, Genma took Kakashi's cup and bottle away, "Look man, nobody's going to care about that other stuff. You were that girl's sensei for like a year, what 13 years ago? She was 12 then; now she is 25 and every bit an adult."

"Watch it," Kakashi threatened.

Genma only laughed, "Damn you do have it bad. I'm just saying, that hardly even counts. And so you were her teamleader? So what? People date interteam all of the time. Sure it is frowned upon while they are on the same team, but guess what? Team Kakashi was officially disbanded when you took up the title of Hokage years ago. I mean come on, she married one of your teammates. Did you see anyone throwing a fit then? Well, throwing a fit because he was a teammate at least, her mother was pissed cause Sasuke was prone to be a little shit, but that's neither here nor there."

Kakashi sighed, "Alright, I get your point, but that doesn't change the fact that I am 12 years older than her."

Genma scrutinized him for a moment, "That's it isn't it? That's what this is all about, because you're not stupid and I know you already knew why your other excuses were bull."

"They are not excuses," Kakashi frowned.

"No? Cause that's what all of this sounds like," Genma let out a long breath, "Listen, I get that the age thing might bother you because you were once her sensei, but we've already decided that that issue is null and void. So, if that's the case and if the age doesn't stop you from caring about her, then why don't you let Sakura decide if it bothers her, hm? Because I guarantee no one else is going to give a rat's ass about it. Sure, this generation hasn't had a lot of it, but age gaps between spouses was pretty damn normal with our parents, and frankly, civilians still do it too."

Kakashi sat in silence letting everything Genma had said settle within him. He knew he couldn't argue with him. Genma was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. If anything, Kakashi knew he was being stupid here. But, that still didn't ease his hesitation.

"What if," he began before sighing.

"What if?" Genma pressed.

Running a hand through his disguised hair, Kakashi groaned, "What if I ruin things by telling her?" He turned to Genma, worry written all over his face due to the lack of his mask, "I may have taken a long time to do it, but Sakura has become a friend. A dear friend, even. I don't want to push her away because of something as stupid as these damn feelings I've developed."

"Well," Genma nodded. This was something he could work with. "That's a risk you have to take. I mean, shit man," he laughed dryly, "I was fucking terrified before I asked Shizune out. I mean, if I pissed her off, dude, she is a medic. She could slice my dick off with her chakra scalpel."

Kakashi paled.

"But," a smile lit up Genma's face, "it was worth it. And I know now that I was just being a little whimp about it before because I was worried she'd say no. Shizune never would've hated me for it if she hadn't have felt the same. There is nothing unmanly about not wanting to get your heartbroken, Kakashi. I think you need to give yourself and Sakura more credit. You two have one hell of a history. It's really no surprise to anyone that you may end up together. Honestly, if it wasn't going to be Sasuke, everyone already would've guessed that it would've been you and Sakura that ended up together."

At this Kakashi looked dumbfounded and a bit embarrassed.

Genma laughed, "What? I'm serious. And, she is divorced now." He wriggled his brows, "She is free game now."

Kakashi glowered, "Don't be a letch."

"Pfft! Don't be a prude. It will hurt your pervert persona," Genma laughed at his friend's blush, "It's simply a fact. Sakura is, frankly, a gorgeous woman. A gorgeous, recently single woman. It's only a matter of time before the guys of this village start sniffing around. Do you really want some punk to end up with her?" He grinned at Kakashi's dark expression, "To be Sarada's new Daddy?" He laughed when Kakashi blanched at this, "Hm? Because that's just what we need, some idiot punk raising a damn Uchiha. And let's be honest, I mean, you have already practically raised one."

Kakashi scoffed, "I think my track record isn't exactly the best to be relying on."

"Well, good thing you'd have Sakura at your side this time," He grinned, "I think she's had plenty practice with Uchiha's, ne?"

Kakashi sighed, "Aren't we jumping the gun a bit here? I never said I was in love with her."

"You never said you weren't either," Genma stated matter-of-factly, "I know you, you might not be there yet, but you must think that's a possibility or you'd never even entertain the thought." Both sat in silence as the weight of what he had just said settled with both of them.

"Alright."

Genma's eyes widened, "What, really?"

Kakashi nodded as if stealing himself, "Yeah, really." Slapping his hand on the bar, Kakashi stood. "You make good arguments, Shiranui," he gripped the stunned man's shoulder, "Thank you, my friend."

"W-wait!" Genma stared at his retreating back, "Where are you going?"

"To make things right," Kakashi called over his shoulder before giving a two fingered salute and disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Genma flopped back against the bar, "Well, shit." He grinned he had done it.

He laughed. Shizune was gonna be so fucking pleased. He wasn't as bad at this as he thought.

Just then a thought occurred to him. Turning, he stared at the money laying on the counter in shock. "I'll be damned," he chuckled, "Maybe pinkie will be good for him." He pushed off the bar and headed home.

Kakashi had paid for his own drinks and Genma's.

* * *

 **Tra la la!**

 **Kakashi is found in a bar in disguise as Sukea (yes, the same disguise that he appeared to Team 7 as and the one that Sakura had a crush on). At least Genma was able to talk some sense into him!**

 **What did you think?**


	20. Where It Figures

**Disclaimer: Still don't own. /sads/**

* * *

 **Where It Figures**

* * *

The rapid tapping sound pulled Kakashi out of his zoned out state. It was with no small amount of annoyance that he realized the obnoxious sound was coming from his fingers tapping incessantly against the cover of his book -again. He slipped the book back into his pocket, resolute to the fact that he was stuck sitting there for the time being and praying to whatever being in the sky that his nerves would let him maintain whatever dignity he had left.

The minutes seemed to tick by slower than they ever had as he waited. Until, that is, a new dull thumping noise once again pulled him out of his trance-like state. He glared at the offending appendage, this time a bouncing knee.

With a huff, he stood and paced the small width of the worn path. He eyed the carefully looked after flowers and shrubbery. The ornamental almond tree that had been tended and trained into the picturesque bonsai at the center of the garden. He would've been impressed if the sky hadn't decided to rumble ominously.

He was annoyed. He was annoyed because of the past weeks he had spent in an emotional whirlwind. He was annoyed for the firm chewing out he had gotten from Genma earlier. He was annoyed that Naruto had sent his friend out to hunt him down. He was annoyed to learn that he had managed to hurt Sakura once again.

Sighing, he looked upwards as if to question what he had done to deserve this. A raindrop to the eye was his answer. Figures. Add rain to his list of annoyances.

It was at this moment, as he rubbed his eye in irritation, that several things happened at once. The sky opened up letting down large drops of freezing rain and the one he had been waiting on walked through the front gate.

Her gasp had his head snapping to face her, "Sakura."

* * *

 _~Sakura POV~_

* * *

"Sakura."

She stood frozen, still not fully past the half-gate of her property. Her mouth agape in shock at his presence, her eyes swept over his form taking in each detail.

He was out of his usual uniform. A rarity that was enough to make the sight of him a bit unsettling, though not in a bad way at all. His pants looked like an older pair of uniform pants, but they were unbound and without a kunai pouch on his thigh. His shirt was a grey, long sleeve thermal; he had the sleeves rolled up to below his elbows. His hands, she noted as he ran one through his soaked hair, were gloveless. His headband was nowhere to be seen. He looked nothing like the Kakashi she knew, and she was left feeling a bit off kilter about him. He looked normal, like any other man.

Blinking, she met his gaze, "Kakashi?"

They were frozen. Muscles trembled as though ready for fight or flight as the pair faced off. He appeared as though he was second guessing coming here, while she was contemplating whether she should hit him or march right into her house and lock the door.

A loud rip decided for her as the paper bag holding her groceries failed due to the rain and her things fell to the ground. With a gasp, she scrambled to catch the eggs from cracking open on her walkway. She managed to catch them just before they landed with the rest, but she wasn't the only one. The heat from the large, bare hands that encased her own on the egg carton had her letting out a different kind of gasp. They were such a contrast to the cold of the rain.

She looked up to grumble a 'thanks' only to suck in her breath. Kakashi's face was close enough for her to see the details of his dark grey irises, darker shades flecked with specks of lighter shades. His usually slightly droopy gaze was wide as he sat frozen in place just a nose breadth away. She felt her face heating under his stare. Yet, neither moved, as though everything around them moved in slow motion, only he was in focus.

She watched as several droplets fell from silver strands that hung down over his forehead. She followed the trail of one until it vanished into the fabric of his mask across his cheek. Whether due to the wetness or their closeness, she could make out the shape of his lips beneath his mask. The fact that they seemed to part as she watched them had a strange heat burst throughout her being.

His grip over her hands tightened causing her eyes to flick back up to his. No longer widened in shock, he appeared to be searching her face for something. The way his brows were bunched led her to believe that even he wasn't certain what for.

Her mind was foggy. His sudden appearance had thrown her off, along with his unusual look. Now this odd sensation between them had her in a haze. She felt as though her hands where he touched her skin were tingling. A shiver ran through her at its intensity.

Her shiver seemed to snap him out of the strange spell that had fallen over them, "Sakura."

His huskier than usual voice sent another tremor through her.

"Sakura," he called again in a more normal tone.

She looked up at him, her confusion written over her face as he helped her to her feet.

"You're shivering," he explained as he collected her items and ushered her to the door, "Let's get you inside."

* * *

 **Some heat for my readers! Yes, this one is short. Sorry, but I needed it to have this moment as a single emphasized moment for them. And honestly, I post so often so :P**

 **How did you like it? Let me know!**

 **How will Sakura react?**

 **Don't worry. The next part is coming out soon.**


	21. Shivers and Sparks

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it. *sigh***

* * *

 **Shivers and Sparks**

* * *

Once inside, the groceries remaining in her arms had been taken away and put up with lightning speed; before her mind could catch up, a familiar throw blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and she was being led to sit before a newly blazing fire as two large hands rubbed her arms in attempt to warm her up.

She felt a bit fuzzy, but the moment that had passed between them outside in the rain had left her a confused pile of mush and frustration. Finally her senses restored she called his name as though to get his attention. He had been rambling under his breath about cold rain and what chaos it would be if the head medic of the hospital caught the flu. Her attempt to gain his attention, however, seemed to be to no avail as he continued to gently rub her arms in an attempt to warm her.

Turning slightly to face him as a bit of her hurt towards him returned, "Kakashi!" Her slightly raised voice caused his movements to freeze as his eyes locked with hers. Oh, how had she not realized how close they were? She was basically tucked into his side. She swallowed as the heat from her anger turned back into that different more confusing heat, "I'm okay. I wasn't too cold."

Silver brows bunched, "You shivered."

"Yes," she admitted.

She watched his gaze fall to her lips for a moment before meeting her gaze again, "Then why?"

She felt a flicker of pride that proximity to her was causing the quick witted genius before her to be so lost. Pushing aside her own turmoil over the new feelings she had been trying to come to terms with, she opted for an explanation other than words.

Hesitating a moment, she let go of the blanket freeing one hand. Her eyes locked with his as her hand rose timidly. Other than that, neither moved an inch. They were both holding their breath, frozen like deer ready to flee. She fought down the part of her that was wondering what in the hell she was thinking, and instead she moved to give into the magnetic pull he had over her.

Fingers grazed his covered jaw. She watched him swallow before his long dark lashes closed. 'No,' she thought, they both had to see. "Kakashi," his name came out breathier than she intended, her palm cupped his cheek fully.

A shiver moved through him this time. When his eyes opened and met hers, gone was the look of confusion. He finally understood what had caused her to tremor before.

Once Sakura's hand began it's gentle exploration of his face, he found a deep sense of peace settle wash over him, even has he seemed to be burning from the inside. What was she doing to him? He couldn't find it in himself to care as he felt her finger tips brush along his lips through his mask.

Unconsciously, his arm still wrapped around her tightened lightly, pulling her closer to lean into his chest more. Her other hand let loose its hold on the blanket as she used it to brace herself upon his chest and keep her from crashing fully into him. The shift caused her shirt to lift the slightest, allowing his thumb to caress small circles across the sensitive skin of her side. Her hand on his chest clenched onto the fabric of his shirt. His focus, however, had fallen onto her now parted lips.

As her tongue darted out to wet them, his body acted on its own. His arm wrapped around her fully, finally bringing her flush against his chest and, therefore, practically into his lap. His eyes searched her hooded gaze. Then they both moved, her upwards and he down, until her warm lips melded with his own masked ones, and he felt like he was dying and coming home all at once. A fire burst through his chest sending a jolt all through his body as he suddenly became aware of every point of contact his body had with hers. The sensation pulled gasps from each as their widened eyes stared into the others.

Sakura searched his eyes, his typical droop replaced with an awed look from the jolt their light kiss had sent through them. She slid her hand up his chest to weave her fingers into the short hairs at the base of his neck. His shocked expression softened and they both released their breaths.

Relaxing into this new feeling between them, his forehead rested against hers, her eyes siding closed. His nose bumped hers making a soft laugh bubble passed her lips as she smiled up at him. The softness she found in his eyes had her heart stop, skip a beat, only to start back faster than before.

Pulling his head down, she leaned up to brush her lips against his once, twice, three times more, before his mouth chased hers pulling her into a heated kiss. A soft pleased sound escaped her breaking his last hold over his restraint. His arms pulled her back fully flush against him, making her have to stand up on her knees as his large hands caressed her back. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she surrendered to his commanding kiss entirely.

When her mouth began to challenge his, a battle for dominance began. She heard contented rumbling from him, feeling the vibrations of them as she was pressed against his chest. The masculine sounds sent heat pooling as her arousal rocketed. As though sensing this change, his hands moved to cup her face his mouth slanting over hers deepening the already heated kiss with an increasing sense of urgancy. Even through his mask, she could feel his mouth as it worked over hers, gently caressing and exploring. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to handle such a kiss without the barrier of his mask. As it was, she could not remember ever having been as turned on as she was here in this moment with only a kiss.

Breaking apart for breath, they locked eyes. The fire light reflected in his grey eyes and created a symbolism for the fire of a different kind that filled his gaze as his eyes searched her face. She couldn't recall ever seeing so much emotion reflected back in his eyes.

A thought sprung forth suddenly and Sakura sent a solid (though non-chakra filled) punch to his arm, "That's for being an idiot and hurting Naruto."

The startled look that had appeared as he rubbed his sore arm faded as he took on a sheepish look. "Hai," he searched her face once again, "What about for hurting you?"

Her eyes snapped back to his. She knew he was sorry. His emotions were amazingly easy to read at that moment. "Why did you vanish like that?" she asked.

He released a large breath of air as his gaze left her to stare into the fire. "There is not an easy answer to that," he admitted finally.

"Try," she demanded though her voice was soft.

He nodded though more to himself. She deserved an answer. At least now that they had kissed, part of his reasoning may not be entirely a cause of her punching him through a wall. "Very well," he watched the flames dance in the fireplace as he began. "I guess I should start at the beginning."

He went on to explain what had caused him to approach her on the bridge months ago. That he had wanted to be a part of her life and for her and Sarada to be a part of his, like Naruto was to him now. He spoke of his guilt for keeping them at arm's length and explained why he kept her even further away before. She had been so innocent as a young genin, so pure of heart. He hadn't wanted to be the cause of something so pure being snuffed out of this world. After all, everyone he had ever been truly close to had a tendency to die.

He had been afraid. Afraid to lose more people. Afraid of being placed in charge of innocent lives. Afraid of letting them in only to lose them. He spoke of how Naruto being a reminder of his sensei and adoptive father hurt. He spoke of how Sasuke's leaving felt like his own personal failure. He told her of how much she had reminded him of Rin when Sakura was still a Genin.

Though she had learned it during the war, he told her about what he had gone through when he had thought Obito had died when they were young, and then he told her how Rin had died. He spoke about how he had blamed himself for killing her. And then, when he grew older and saw that for what it was, he told her how he blamed himself for not being able to save her from her fate. He told her about his father's death and the circumstances surrounding it.

As he told her his life story and the reasons he became the man he was, Sakura listened. What started as him holding her had shifted to his head resting in her lap as they sat in front of the fire, her hands running through his hair.

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi," she spoke finally after they had sat in a comfortable silence for a while after he finished.

He sighed, "I didn't tell you my sob story to make you feel sorry for me, Sakura."

She smiled sadly, "Oh, I'm aware. But, I _am_ sorry. You are one of my special people, Kakashi. I care about you-" Her breath caught as everything fell into place in her mind. Her confused feelings, the warmth and flutters she had been getting. The feelings their passionate kiss earlier had brought forth in her.

She almost laughed at how blind she had been to her own emotions. Instead, she looked down to the man whose head rested in her lap. His eyes were closed as she ran her fingers through his hair. She had a feeling that her resent revelation wouldn't be much of a surprise to him. He was a master at looking underneath the underneath. And yet, she felt nervous to admit it to him aloud.

She worried her lip between her teeth, "I care about you, Kakashi."

Her change in tone had him looking up, "I know you do."

She shook her head, "No, I mean…" She looked away as her nerves and old doubts threatened to suffocate her.

Sitting up, Kakashi turned her face back to his, "Sakura, I know." His thumb brushed her bottom lip, "Why do you think I've been such an idiot these past weeks?" At her confusion, he smiled, "Why do you think I shared all of this with you?" He tilted her chin up, "Why would I kiss you, you silly girl?"

Her nose scrunched as she huffed turning her head away making him chuckle.

"Sakura-chan," he teased grinning as she merely pouted, "your face is going to get stuck that way."

Sakura scoffed rolling her eyes, "Kakashi-sensei, that's just a silly old sayin-" she gasped as she turned back to him. He smiled a crooked smile, his dimple making it all the more endearing and boyish. And his beauty mark. He had a beauty mark. And she could see it.

"Breathe, Sakura," he chuckled.

She watched his mouth move in fascination. She brought a hand up but hesitated, green eyes flicking to his in askance. He only grinned wider in answer, amusement written all over his . She watched his eyes crinkle in an all too familiar smile. Now that she had the whole picture, complete with a flash of straight white teeth, a crooked smile and a dimple. She found that its effect was a bit different, if her hammering heart was anything to go by.

Her hand cupped his cheek in a light, barely there touch. His eyes watched hers as she swallowed before her fingertips brushed along his cheeks to trail along his exposed jaw. His lips parted as the pads of her fingers brushed across them in a feather light touch. When he gave them a peck, he chuckled at her startled gasp and resulting glare.

His mirth faded as she traced the scar over his eye. His breath coming out slightly shakier than before. He felt vulnerable like this. So exposed to her studious gaze and exploring touch. But as she gave him a warm smile, he decided that he didn't mind it nearly much as he thought he would have.

* * *

 **TaDa!**

 **Finally they kiss!** **And Kakashi unmasks, both figuratively and literally, to let her in.**

 **I wanted this kiss to be something different than what is normally done. This wasn't just 'oh we are kissing and now I love you' nor was is just about lust or anything like that. For Kakashi and Sakura, this had to be a truly emotional experience. What starts is curiosity and as a means to explore this new attraction between them that they are finally accepting is there needed to evolve into something much more. Just like their kiss evolved from almost innocent in a barely brushing of lips into a passionate exchange, their emotions had to evolve as well.**

 **For Kakashi, he had already gone through that discovery of his feelings; that's what he was doing the whole time he was absent. But for Sakura, it is through these series of kisses that she comes into her feelings and realizes how much Kakashi has come to mean to her.**

 **I hope I properly represented the complexity of this moment. And more so, I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Reviews make Kakashi want to do a Magic Mike dance. ^_~**


	22. Telling

**Telling**

* * *

The next two weeks went by like a blur. Things were finally starting to run more smoothly in the new Hospital wing. Kakashi and Sakura had gone back to their usual routine of having lunches. Although, he now would come get her from her office and walk her out. He'd also show up in her office at the end of the day to walk her home, usually with a hot cup of her favorite tea to soothe her and help her unwind from her day.

One night when she was in a sour mood from having a bad day, she had snapped at him claiming that she didn't need an escort and that she was more than capable of seeing herself home. He had merely let her rant, knowing she needed to vent some frustration, before reaching out to intertwine his fingers with hers. The pair had sported matching blushes the whole way out of the hospital and to her door.

Sakura didn't remark about being walked home again.

As a whole, however, not much between them had changed. They hadn't kissed again since that afternoon he had shown up in the rain. She hadn't seen his face since then either. Outside of their lunches and walks home, they hadn't spent any additional time together outside of what they already had been. She didn't have much experience with courtship or dating, as her relationship with Sasuke had always been unconventional, but she was feeling a bit confused. she knew what had taken place in front of her fireplace that afternoon. She knew that they had confessed their feelings, and yet, nothing had really changed in any big way.

On the one hand, he was more open with her than he had ever been. Any question she asked, he answered truthfully with no need for her to look underneath the underneath. A fact she was grateful for because she might have strangled him if he continued to be so damn obtuse all of the time. For instance, she knew that he stopped by Naruto's house two nights a week: one to help Naruto with some paperwork and one so that Naruto and Hinata could have a date night. It was unbelievably sweet of him and when she had told him as such, he had turned about ten shades of red. Just like when she had found out that he had been the one to help Sai when he came with questions about how to impress a girl; that girl was Ino and we all know how that turned out. She was surprised to learn that he was more of a closet romantic than a pervert, which she had been all too delighted to inform him of and happily watch how bashful it had made him.

He had been polite and respectful since that night they had kissed. His hand would grasp hers for fleeting moments before being shoved back into his pockets or under the table. He was warm, more open, yes, but she couldn't help but start to wish that he would kiss her again. What was he waiting for?

"Sakura?"

"Hm?" She blinked her eyes flicking from his masked mouth to his eyes.

He was smiling, "You were staring."

She flushed, "Sorry, I spaced out. What were you saying?"

He eyed her for a moment, "I was asking if you were ready?"

"Hm?" She looked around and noticed that the table had been cleared and the check paid, "Oh Kami-sama, I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei."

As they entered the street, he cleared his throat, "Sakura?"

"Hm?," she summed her face upturned to the warm rays of the sun.

"I've told you that you don't have to call me that," his voice even, though a bit lower in tone.

She lifted a brow in confusion, "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice."

"Is it that big of a change?" he rubbed his neck staring at the road as they walked.

She couldn't help but smile at his bashfulness, "Not as much as I might have thought it would be. I slip sometimes because it is more of a habit, if anything. But," it was her turn to look bashful.

"But?," he asked finally.

She bit her lip, "I prefer Kakashi." Her eyes flicked up to his, her cheeks red.

He grinned, "Me too." His hand found hers and they seemed to both let out light sighs. The remaining hesitations and insecurities fading away, if only for a moment.

Stopping in front of the hospital, he toed a pebble. She grinned again, stepping closer, her feet coming into his down-turned view causing him to look up, "Thank you for taking me out to lunch again."

He smiled that smile she knew was slightly crooked. She could almost make out his dimpled cheek. He brushed a hair from her face, his hand hovering afterwards before dropping lamely to his side. He let out a whoosh of air making her giggle. "I'll see you this evening, Sakura," he grinned as he turned to go.

"See you later," she watched him turn. "Kakashi!" she called stopping him in his tracks. She took a breath before rushing out a stream of words, "I have this Friday off."

He blinked.

Blushing she glanced away, "I just, I just wanted you to know that." She scrunched her nose feeling stupid suddenly. He was just about to speak when she stammered out a quick, "I have to go," and rushing inside, cheeks aflame. Leaving Kakashi to wonder what he had done to get his little kunoichi so flustered.

* * *

Kakashi sat staring at the papers in his hand but not really seeing them at all. His mind was on a certain pink-haired woman, who had quickly became his mind's favorite thing to think about, especially when he should be doing something else. Like helping his current Hokage and ex-student to make a dent in some of the paperwork that had piled up for this week. Testing season was always hell.

A not-at-all subtle clearing of a throat had his eyes snapping up to meet the curious gaze of said current Hokage.

"Ne, Naruto, you sound like you could use a drink? Something strong perhaps?" he gave his best 'not-a-care-in-the-world' eye-crinkled smile.

Naruto was unfazed, however. Maybe he was losing his touch. "What's going on with you, Kaka-sensei? You're spacier than usual today," sharper-than-he-would've-liked blue eyes squinted as though trying to decipher a puzzle.

"Hm, spacey?" he feigned innocence, smile firmly in place. "I am merely being overly simulated with these truly invigorating reports."

A pout caused Naruto's whiskers to twitch downward, "That doesn't work on me anymore."

Humor having faded, he sighed, "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Kakashi's voice even, revealing nothing.

"Using big words to distract me from my question," Naruto deadpanned, "It doesn't work anymore. You need new tricks, old man."

"Oi! I am not an old man," Kakashi huffed.

A boisterous laugh boomed out of Naruto, "No, just a stubborn old mule." He laughed as Kakashi's face turned more sour. "Well, come on, spit it out. Tell your esteemed Hokage what's wrong," he grinned what could only be considered a shit-eating grin.

Kakashi shuddered, "I'd rather not."

Naruto perked, "So there is something! Ha! I knew it! All that mess with Sakura-chan being all moody and you disappearing off the face of the planet… I mean, more than you usually do. But I just knew something had to be bothering you after seeing you sighing all sulky-like into your paperwork. I know when something is going on with my shinobi, dattebayo!" He slammed his fist into a palm with a satisfied smile.

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at his antics, "Alright, alright, calm down before you pop an aneurysm or something, Hokage-sama."

Naruto's nose scrunched up, "That's still weird to hear you call me that."

"Yeah? Well, payback for all the times you used my title to annoy me," Kakashi grinned at the pout he got in return.

Naruto slouched, "Touché. So? Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to challenge you to another wrestling match to beat it out of you?"

"No wrestling in the house!" Hinata's call could be heard from another room.

Naruto winched, "How do women _do_ that?"

"It's a mom thing," Hinata smiled as she passed by with a basket of clothes.

Naruto jumped, "Kami woman! Where did you come from?"

Kakashi chuckled watching the pair exchanging smiles and playful banter. His chuckles were cut short when Hinata sat beside Naruto and turned her penetrating gaze to him.

"Kakashi-sama, is everything alright?" the gentleness of her voice and genuine concern in her gaze made him want to answer her, if only to relieve her worry.

"Hai, Hinata-san, I'm fine," his smile sincere this time.

Hinata smiled back, "I'm glad to hear it. You know you are family, Kakashi-sama. If anything ever is troubling you, we will always be here for you."

The honesty in her response knocked the wind out of him and made a lump rise in his throat. It was the second time in a short period of time that someone had called him family. For someone who felt they had no one before the war, to someone who wanted to make those bonds after the war, he was discovering that he not only had them now but well before the war as well. He gave a nod, "Hai, Hinata-san. Arigato."

Hinata tilted her head as she watched him, "Are you sure there is nothing?"

He paused, his usual dismissive retort coming up short. Looking at her gentle gaze, he looked at Naruto who was smiling tenderly at his wife, before releasing a long sigh. Setting the papers in his hands down, he sat back in his seat. His fingers strummed a rapid rhythm on the arms of the armchair before he folded them in his lap. Taking a breath, he made his decision, "Well…"

Naruto's face whipped around, mouth open as he looked between his wife, in something akin to amazement, before looking to Kakashi in bewilderment. His wife had somehow managed to get Kakashi to open up about what he was thinking, and so much easier than Naruto was usually able to. He nearly pouted at that; the last time had taken Naruto nearly two days of questioning and prodding before Kakashi had finally explained, and quite mournfully at that, that a copy of his Icha Icha books had split at the binding. Naruto had stopped asking after Kakashi's troubles for a while after that.

Kakashi ignored the flabbergasted blonde as he let his gaze rest on the paper filled coffee table before them, "Actually, there was something that happened." He glanced up into two waiting faces: one patiently and one still agape with wonder, if a little pouty. Running a hand through his hair, Kakashi turned to Naruto, "It wasn't something that was planned. Nor wasn't something I would've thought would happen. But, it did."

Blonde brows furrowed in confusion though Kakashi could tell he was biting back the flurry of questions he no doubt had.

"I don't really know when it happened," he continued turning to look out of the large windows of the Uzumaki living room, "I was too caught up in it once I realized what was happening to be able to pinpoint exactly when it had begun. Once I figured it out, pieced together all the little clues to form the bigger picture, there was no way back, no way to choose a different path." His eyes flicked back to the pair listening, "To be honest, I wouldn't have wanted to change a thing, even if I could. Still, the sheer weight of what it meant, the magnitude of these, these," he struggled to put it all in to words, "these feelings," he sighed eyes closing as he replayed it all in his head.

Hinata's hand was at her mouth, her pale eyes looking a bit watery, "Oh Kakashi-sama."

Naruto blinked looking back and forth having risen from his seat, "Feelings? What feelings? Kaka-sensei, what wouldn't you change?"

Hinata grasped the back of his shirt tugging him back into his seat, "Hush, Naruto-kun," she murmured before looking back at Kakashi and sighing. Naruto huffed not liking that starry-eyed look his wife was giving Kakashi. Hinata patted his leg even as she kept looking forward before she asked, "Does she know?"

Naruto's eyes whipped back to Kakashi as he wondered what 'she' Hinata was talking about. Slowly a grin spread across his face, "Holy shit!"

Hinata frowned lightly at her husband's exclamation.

Kakashi squirmed in his seat, which only made Naruto let out a laugh, "Holy shit, Kaka-sensei! You found yourself a girl!"

The flat glare Kakashi sent him in response did little to stop the celebratory whoops from leaving the blonde as he pumped a fist in the air.

"Haha! It's about time, 'ttebayo! I was worried you'd end up a lone wolf forever. Why I was just telling Hinata-koi the other day that I wished we could find you a woman, but then I got to thinking about who it could be but everyone your age is married…or crazy. And there is no way I could see you with a civilian. So then it was like, well who-"

"Naruto."

"And then I started thinking about outside of the village-"

" _Naruto,_ " Kakashi nearly growled.

"But then there is the issue of who would move and I don't want you to leave, because I'd miss you-"

" **Naruto!** " Kakashi's normally steady voice boomed making the rambling blonde jump.

Wide blue eyes blinked at Kakashi, "Did you just… Did you just yell?"

Hand rubbing over his face, Kakashi sighed, "Naruto, Hinata-san, sorry for raising my voice. I just-" He released a long breath feeling worn from all the emotions he has been having recently, "Listen, there is something I need to say."

Hinata reached out to pat his knee, "It's okay, Kakashi-sama."

Sitting down, Naruto nodded, "Yeah, no worries, Kaka-sensei. I just got a bit excited."

Kakashi chuckled in spite of his nerves, "I could see that." He got control over his remain nerves before beginning with clear determination, "Naruto, there is something I wanted to tell you. Not because I am asking permission, because I'm not," he fixed the younger man with a stern look as he made that part clear. "I'm telling you because you are important to me and I don't want you to hear it from someone else and get the wrong idea."

Naruto thought for a moment taking in what he was being told. His voice was slightly hesitant, as he nodded, "Alright. Go ahead."

"It is true that I have found someone. She is… precious to me… in more ways than I care to try and count. I want to go about this the right way. She is a friend to me, and the mother of a child who has had enough to deal with already. I don't want to waste her time or my own, nor do I want to cause any pain to anyone. She has had enough of that in the past," he paused, "we both have."

Unease having faded away, Naruto nodded. He had an idea of where this was going. It was an option he hadn't considered before, but then again, he never pictured Kakashi as being okay with kids. However, considering that this child was the child of two of his friends, then it was a bit different. "And you are okay with her being a mother? If you pursued this, you'd be potentially gaining not just a wife, but a family."

"Hai, and although that is still a ways off, I am fully aware of that. It was part of the reason I disappeared for so long. I had to look at the whole situation," Kakashi admitted.

Naruto eyed his old sensei turned ex-temleader, ex-Hokage and now brother-like figure. He looked as though he had already made his decision, any apprehension about his choice was nonexistent. He looked sure of himself and determined. "And what did you decide?" Naruto pressed.

The smile that settled on Kakashi's face was one that neither Naruto nor Hinata had seen before, "She is worth it. They both are worth it."

Naruto couldn't help but smile as well. He might not always be as quick to catch onto things as some, but Naruto knew Kakashi well. And he could tell by that single look that Kakashi had fallen for this woman and her child. "So, then what's the issue? You've told her how you feel, right?"

A flicker flashed through Kakashi's eyes, "Well, not in any certain words, but I've made my intent clear."

Hinata spoke up, "Kakashi-sama, it may not be my place, but…" she trailed off.

Kakashi smiled kindly, "Of course, it is Hinata-san. Please go ahead."

"W-well," the Hyuuga heiress stammered, "even if the man shows us how he feels, we may still hold doubts about ourselves. It is always nice to hear it plainly too." A light blush graced her features as she glanced bashfully at her husband, blushing at memories of their time spent dating.

Kakashi blinked, "I see." He thought back to Sakura earlier that day. She had been in deep thought during their lunch and had been more hesitant and shy than usual. Her declaration of her day off came to mind and he dropped his head in his head, "Kuso."

"What? What is it?" Naruto asked in concern as Kakashi held his head in his hands and looked like he wanted to slam his forehead into the table a few times.

Groaning, Kakashi rubbed his face with his hands. He fought the urge to rip his mask off and breathe in air unfiltered by the suddenly stifling cotton. "I am an idiot, that's what," catching their concerned gazes, he sighed. Mine as well admit all since he had already gotten this far, "It just that earlier she made a comment when I was dropping her off at the hospital after our lunch-"

"Kurenai-sensei is at the hospital?" Naruto asked in alarm.

Kakashi blinked, "Kurenai? What? Why would you think? Oh…" Of course Naruto wouldn't know who he was talking about. He caught Hinata's knowing look and felt himself blush. She was very perceptive and had no doubt figured it out much, much earlier on. "Eh heh, no, Naruto, I'm not talking about Kurenai."

"But then who?" Naruto asked in more confusion.

Kakashi sighed, 'No time like the present.' Leaning forward and tensed in case he needed to bolt, Kakashi resigned himself to deal with the backlash of what he was about to admit, "It's Sakura, Naruto."

Blue eyes blinked owlishly, "Sakura-chan?"

"Hai," he nodded.

"You like Sakura-chan?"

A sigh, "Hai." Kakashi watched as Naruto seemed to process this, tanned hands clenching and then unclenching. Hinata placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. Tension filled the room as they waited for Naruto's reaction.

"Before I go any further with," one hand made a gesture as if to say 'all of this' before Naruto fixed a firm look to Kakashi, "I have to ask one thing, because it is my duty as Hokage to ensure my shinobi are conducting themselves honorably. Tell me how long this has been going on."

Kakashi was taken aback and, if he was honest, slightly pissed. He didn't actually mean to insinuate that Kakashi had inappropriate thoughts about her when Sakura was underage.

Hinata even fixed her husband with a displeased look.

Naruto, however, remained unfazed, "Don't look at me like that. I need to know that you did not do anything to cause Sakura and Sasuke's marriage to fail. Tell me that you did not interfere there."

Kakashi's ire faded and was quickly replaced with hurt.

Hinata's look, however, remained the same. Apparently, she knew that this is what Naruto had been getting at. Standing to leave, she looked between the two. "I will be in the laundry room. Call if you need anything to drink, Kakashi-sama."

Kakashi gave a nod, "Arigato, Hinata-san."

Hinata shook her head, "Hinata is fine. You are family after all." She fixed her husband with a loaded glare before leaving the room.

Naruto fought the urge to squirm. His quiet wife could be scary when she saw fit.

"Naruto, I would never have done such a thing," Kakashi slumped back into his seat, "I care for Sasuke as well, you know. I never would have said or done a thing if I had developed feelings for her while they were married. I'd never do that to Sarada-chan either."

Naruto seemed relieved to hear it, "Good, because I'd have to kick your ass otherwise."

Kakashi snorted, "I would have deserved it." The pair chuckled as the tension fell away. Kakashi sighed as he eyed Naruto, "I want you to know that this between Sakura and myself didn't start until after her divorce."

Naruto looked sheepish, "Kakashi, I get that. I knew you wouldn't do such a thing, but I had to ask. It was my duty to ask."

Kakashi gave a nod, "Hai, it was and I know it must have been hard to ask such a question, but you are right. It is your duty as Hokage to ask the hard questions. And it would've been your duty as a friend to do something about it if I had." He smiled at the look of relief that overtook Naruto. He had been worried he had offended Kakashi with his question.

"It is the fact that you are my friend as well, that makes me want you to understand it all. I know it might seem odd, Sakura and I, but," Kakashi scratched his neck, "Naruto, I wouldn't go forward with this if I wasn't certain. This is Sakura, not some random woman."

"Hai," Naruto nodded, "this is Sakura-chan." He fixed a steely gaze upon Kakashi, "So you better treat her right."

Kakashi blinked. There it was. Just like that Naruto had given him his blessing…and a threat. Smiling, Kakashi picked up his stack of papers again, "I will, Naruto."

* * *

That evening as Kakashi stood before Sakura in front of her house. He called getting her attention away from her feet, "Sakura," his eyes soft as he spoke, "Would you want to do something Friday? With me, I mean."

She smiled a tender smile that had his heart racing, "I would like that."

As he walked through the crowded streets on his way home, he knew he was grinning like an idiot. People were whispering as he passed. Some shooting him knowing smiles, some appeared freaked out, but he couldn't care less.

He had a date with Sakura.

* * *

 **Ta Da!**

 **I hope this encapsulated how awkward new romances can be at first. In case you haven't noticed, I'm going for realistic here.**

 **Also, Kakashi telling Naruto is a big deal. He is serious about her after all.**

 **Reviews are better than cake.**


	23. Riddle Me This

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. Classes before spring break got a bit busy. Plus I wanted this to be perfect. In the end the date ended up being waaaaay too long. As a result, I am cutting it into two parts. This, being the first part. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Riddle Me This**

* * *

The day had finally come. It was Friday, her day off, and tonight was going to be a very special night. With Sarada having been all set to spend the night at Ino and Sai's house to play with Inoji, Sakura had all day until the evening to get ready. She had been standing in front of her closet glaring at its contents in indecision and annoyance when a scratching at her window drew her attention.

Opening the window, she was startled to see who it was, "Pakkun?" Her brows knit as the thought that something could be wrong surged forward in her mind.

"Yo, Sakura-chan," the little pug's gruff voice greeted, "Boss sent a message."

It was then that she spotted the small bit of rolled paper attached to the underside of his collar. It read:

 _Volatile blossoms,_

 _Quakes and fissures bursting forth,_

 _Practiced deadly dance._

She stared at the words a bit bemused. Kakashi had written a haiku? With a grin, she studied it, well, it certainly wasn't the most romantic poem she'd ever heard. What did it mean? She didn't even know he could write poetry. A bit of a blush spread across her face as she realized that he had written _her_ poetry. She quickly shook that thought away because it wasn't even a love poem, but seemed to be a hint of some kind.

Pakkun cleared his voice gaining her attention, "There's more on the back."

Shooting a look of thanks to him, she flipped it over:

 _See you at training ground 7 at 5 o'clock. Don't eat dinner yet either._

 _;)_

A spar? Their date was to go spar? She nearly sighed, but then she found herself becoming oddly sappy about the idea. In truth, it fit him perfectly. And, they hadn't sparred together for a long time. This way, they would be alone _and_ in their element, which would eliminate any possible nerves. It was actually rather genius… which, made sense since Kakashi was in fact a genius.

She scoffed shaking her head with a smile. And he had written a poem. Realizing Pakkun was waiting for a response, she replied, "Tell him I look forward to it."

A grumpy huff, "Alright, I'll play messenger again. But if you could find more of those treats you had before, I would let you touch my paws."

Sakura's brows rose. She had to think for a moment, because it had probably been years since she had seen any of Kakashi's ninken. "I will see what I can do," she promised, "though I may not remember the exact ones."

At this the pug sighed dejectedly, "I guess that can't be helped, though any treats would be better than none." She watched in amusement as the pug made his way to the window while grumbling about how humans never remembered the important things.

Once he had hopped out, Sakura closed the window and turned to face her closet that was lacking in variety. Sending it one more glare for good measure, she happily shut the doors before turning to her dresser. Another plus of this date would be not having to fret over what to wear. A spar meant her gear was perfectly fine. Pulling out her small black shorts, she paused her hand hovering over her typical red top and medic skirt. Maybe she could change it up a little. His reaction alone, would make it worth it. Passing up her normal top and skirt, she grabbed a comfortable, but flattering red wrap top and a black waist belt. Practical, but a little different from what he normally had seen her in when she typically spars. It was a new designed top that Ino had gotten her for her birthday two years ago stating that her outfit was overdue for an upgrade.

As she adjusted the top, twisting and turning in front of her mirror, she had to admit that Ino had an eye for fashion. It really was much more flattering than her old uniform that she had been wearing since becoming a Chunin. Weapons pouch strapped to her thigh, she locked up the house before taking to the rooftops. If she got there at 5, she'd have plenty of time to warm up before her date showed up late as usual.

* * *

Passing through the gate that marked train field 7, Sakura walked along the familiar well-worn path leading in through the small wood leading to the cenotaph. As the trees thinned, the memorial and three posts came into view in the open field before her. She gave the MIA stone a bow of respect and reverence before heading over to the posts. Running her fingers over each as she passed, flashes of memories ran through her mind of all the important moments that took place right in that spot.

Something fluttering against the back of one post caught her eye drawing her from her memories. Nearing the post, she realized it was a piece of paper folded up and stuck to the wood with a kunai. A familiar henohenomoheji face smiled at her from the paper; with a small laugh, she took the paper down knowing immediately who it was from.

Unfolding the paper, she was surprised to find another haiku. Reading over it, her surprise grew as she realized this one was another clue of some sort.

 _Humble beginnings,_

 _Summits a top bridges red,_

 _Bonds, anew, spring forth._

Reading the poem out loud, it was clear this riddle, like the one from this morning, was about experiences they shared over the years. 'Humble beginnings' was in reference to the formation of Team 7. They had been such an odd mix of individuals and it had led to more silly moments than serious at the beginning. The following line 'Summits a top bridges red' brought a familiar red bridge to mind. It was where Team 7 met up for missions and training so often as genin. The last line, however, threw her off. She was sure he was referencing the red bridge, but what could he mean by 'bonds anew'?

Flipping over the paper, she checked to see if this one had a note like the previous one from that morning. It was blank.

Huffing, she reread the lines trying to figure out if she was wrong about her initial thought about the answer to the riddle. Surely, there could be no other red bridge. Running through her memory, she could not think of any other red bridge that they had ever been at together. At least, not another that was in Fire Country. Even the bridge they had been meeting up at during their morning walks was just the old red bridge rebuilt.

Suddenly, it clicked. Of course, it was the same red bridge of Team 7. That very same red bridge, though now rebuilt, had been where they had started meeting up months earlier, thus leading to their newly evolved relationship.

'Bonds, anew, spring forth,' was their newly blooming feelings for each other. She nearly giggled at how sentimental it all was. Who would've thought the fearsome Hatake Kakashi would be such a romantic after all.

With a spring in her step, she headed off to the bridge where surely another clue would await.

* * *

Dropping onto the bridge, she spotted two familiar dogs. Or, well, ninken. Smiling as she approached the two small ninken, she kneeled to scratch Guruko behind the ear as he approached her tail waggling. Bisuke sat looking a bit annoyed to be there.

"Hello boys," she laughed at the small scoff that came from the small tan terrier.

"Yeah, yeah, here you go, woman," Bisuke sighed as he rolled a small scroll the short distance between them.

Sakura caught him looking longingly at her hand currently rubbing Guruko's belly. Fighting back her laugh, she nodded to the little ninken trying to act indifferent to her, "Thank you, Bisuke."

He looked a bit startled that she remembered his name. Clearly, thrown off by it he shifted on his front paws clearing his throat, "Yeah, well, are you gonna read it or not?"

Unrolling the scroll, she eagerly read the lines of the new haiku.

 _Once a fierce queen ruled,_

 _A Scarecrow took up the robes,_

 _The hero has come._

Reading over the lines, she knew immediately where she needed to go. 'A fierce queen ruled' could only mean Tsunade-sama. Kakashi would be the 'scarecrow' that 'took up the robes' when he became Hokage after. And she could only picture one face when she thought of the last line.

"I see you figured it out. Good, now I don't have to try and give you any hints," Bisuke's voice brought her attention from the paper.

"We will let boss know you are off to the next clue," Guruko yipped excitedly earning an eyeroll from his packmate.

"Thank you both for helping me," Sakura gave each a pat.

Bisuke huffed turning his face to the side even as his tail wagged giving him away, "Alright, alright, we get it. Now run along. You shouldn't keep boss waiting."

* * *

Standing in front of the Hokage tower, she was unsure where exactly the next clue would be. If Kakashi made her search the whole place from top to bottom, she might just kick his ass. Heading inside, she decided she'd start by walking the halls and seeing if any clues were visible.

As she walked the slowly spiraling inner hallway that gradually lead to the top office of the Hokage, she caught the nervous chatter of some Chunin that passed.

"I wonder if they will be a permanent security measure?" one asked the other.

His teammate shrugged, "Maybe so. They are effective body guards after all."

The third nodded, "I'd say, especially that one with the sunglasses."

The first shook his head, "No, the other one with the mean looking eyes is far worse. He just looks like he will bite you."

Sakura watched them pass with a confused look. Did Naruto have new guards? Was there some kind of threat that she didn't know about? It had to be bad if the typical ANBU guard assigned to watch over the Hokage was not enough.

Breaking into a jog, she headed up to Naruto's office. She had to make sure her friend was alright first then she could continue her hunt for the clue.

Knocking on the door, she heard scuffling from inside. With a surge of panic, she threw the door open, "Naruto!"

Freezing, she blinked at the image before her. Naruto was on his back flailing on the ground with two very playful ninken attacking him with licks.

She crossed her arms shaking her head as relief flooded her. He was alright, if still as much of a goofball as ever.

"Naruto, if the council sees this they are going to have an aneurysm," she laughed at the startled look that spread over his face as he scrambled to his feet.

Struggling to right the white Hokage coat from its new position flipped over on top of his head, he stammered, "S-sakura-chan? 'ttebayo, I thought you were someone else."

"Like your wife?" she snickered at the sheepish look he gave her, "She is still struggling to get you to stay professional, I see."

He grinned as he swept her up in a hug, "Eh, you know me. I get my stuff done, but sitting in that desk all day gets boring, dattebayo!"

Happily returning his hug, she laughed, "You are such a goof, Naruto. Never change, you hear me."

"Please, if I haven't by now, I think it's safe to say that I never will," his wide grin infectious as he went over to his desk to rummage through a drawer, "I'm guessing you came by for something other than seeing your poor old teammate."

She scoffed, "Oh please, don't pout. It's not my fault you are always stuck in meetings."

He groaned as he flopped into his large desk chair, holding up a small scroll for her, "Ugh, tell me about it. If I had known all the paperwork and meetings I'd be stuck in, I never would have wanted to be Hokage."

Taking the scroll, Sakura laughed, "Yeah, okay. Frist off, bullshit. You love every bit of this and you know it." She rolled her eyes at the shit-eating grin he flashed her, "And secondly, you knew exactly what you were getting into. Tsunade and Kakashi made sure of that."

He waved her off with a smile, "Mah, I get no sympathy." Leaning forward, he gestured curiously to her scroll, "Soooo~ what's it say? Kaka-sensei wouldn't let me sneak a peek. He even made these two make sure I wouldn't. So unfair," he gestured to Akino and Urushi who looked all too pleased with their success at their mission.

Sakura grinned as she read over the new haiku, "It's another clue."

"Clue?" Naruto asked curiously.

Nodding, she blushed as she read over it, "Yeah, today is our first, um…" she glanced up at him nervously.

"First what?" Naruto's urged her to continue, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Uh, our first, our first, um," she shifted on her feet. She had thought that Kakashi leaving a clue here meant that Naruto knew about them, but from the looks of it, maybe she was wrong. A thought hit her causing a bubble of irritation to burst forth. If he did this so that she'd have to face Naruto alone when telling him about the shift in their relationship, she was really going to kick his ass. It was just like him to get others to do the heavy lifting.

A laugh brought her out of her red haze, "Sakura, relax. I already know."

Green eyes blinked owlishly, "You do?"

Naruto fixed a tender look at her, "He told me earlier this week."

The heat of her anger was replaced with a pleasant warmth as butterflies set loose, "He did?" A smile slowly took over.

Shaking his head, Naruto stood coming around his desk. He grabbed her shoulders making her look at him, "He did. He explained how it came to be and what he felt about you."

A blush quickly taking over, Sakura's mouth slackened, "He really told you all of that?" The fact that Kakashi had not only confronted Naruto, but opened up about his feelings for her was a bit overwhelming.

Naruto chuckled pulling her into a hug, "Sakura, I'm happy for you, for you both. I can't think of two people who deserve to be happy more than you two."

Wrapping her arms around him, she burrowed her head into his shoulder, "Thank you, Naruto." Releasing him, she flashed him a less wabbly smile, "Now then, want to help me figure out what his next haiku means?"

"Haiku!?" Naruto's eyes bulged, "Kaka-sensei wrote you poetry?"

She laughed a light laugh as her cheeks flushed.

Naruto grinned, "You know, I'm going to have to tease him about this right?"

A shift punch to his arm only made him laugh, "Come on, Sakura! It _is_ kinda funny! Who would've thought our reclusive Kaka-sensei had a romantic hiding behind all that perviness… and laziness."

Sakura giggled despite herself, only to stop as a weird look overcame Naruto's face, "What?"

He looked increasingly uncomfortable, "You don't… you don't call him _sensei_ when you two are-" he trailed off making obscene gestures.

Sakura choked on air, "Naruto!" She shoved him sending him flipping over his desk, "You pervert!"

* * *

Walking into the hospital, Sakura tried to stop her stomping. Really, she did. Her blood was still boiling and her face was still on fire from Naruto's perverted question. She had barely been able to focus enough to figure Kakashi's next clue, but she finally realized that it was sending her to her office.

As she exited the elevator to her floor, she was stopped by Shizune, "Hey, why are there two ninken waiting by your office? They nearly gave me a heart attack when I was returning those lab results."

Sakura laughed sheepishly, "Eh heh, sorry about that."

Shizune eyed the blush steadily rising over the younger woman's face, "Well, keep your weird courting habits out of the hospital. They were scaring the interns, so they had to be let into your office."

Laughing nervously, Sakura quickly made her escape, dashing down the hall into her office. She spotted the two ninken napping on her couch, "Hello boys," she called.

Uhei and Shiba's heads popped up. "You made it!" Shiba barked out as he hopped down to greet her.

Petting him as Uhei came over as well, she nodded petting both, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"It's alright," Uhei sighed happily, his leg bouncing as she got a particularly good scratch on his back.

"Boss said we needed to give you this," Shiba moved so that she could see the scroll attached to the back of his vest.

Grabbing it, she thanked them again before opening the scroll.

 _Get some hot green tea,_

 _Endless tempura – While,_

 _Chie-baasan scolds you._

Sakura nearly laughed a loud. This could only be one place.

Nearing Momoko tea house, Sakura became increasingly nervous. There was only one member of Kakashi's pack that she had yet to see, which most likely meant that this would be the last clue. This of course meant that she was getting closer to Kakashi himself, and as silly as it was that thought made her heart flop and the butterflies in her stomach all aflutter. Taking a shaky breath, Sakura opened the door to Momoko, stepping inside.

"Ah! There she is!" Chie-baasan called out as she approached the front of the café, "Come here child, let me look at you."

Sakura stepped into the tiny woman's outstretched arms, returning her warm greeting, "Hello baasan, how are you?"

"Still kicking!" she joked as she let out a laugh patting Sakura's cheeks, "I am happy to see you. I knew you two were just beginning on the journey of love when I saw you last." Sakura blushed as the tiny woman happily carried on, "That boy is lucky Chie-baasan has an eye for such things! And to think he wanted his normal seat!" She tsked as she let out a loud whistle causing several customers to startle from their seats. Emerging from a back room, Bull came trotting up with Pakkun atop his head. "I believe these are for you," Chie-baasan smiled as she pet each atop their heads, "I will leave you to it then. Lots of work to do!"

Sakura smiled warmly as the whirlwind of a woman went off to see to her customers, before turning to the ninkin. "Hey Pakkun, Bull," her greeting was rewarded with a wide grin from Bull as his tongue lulled out.

"Yo, Sakura-chan," Pakkun's gruff voice greeted, "Perhaps we should move this outside?"

"Sounds good," she said laughingly. She had begun to scratch Bull behind the ears causing him to wriggle his whole butt instead of just his tiny nub of a tail. The resulting wriggling was at risk of knocking over Chie-baasan's decorative silk screen and an old looking vase.

As they stepped outside, Pakkun gestured to the scroll under his collar, "Once you open that, I'm to report back to boss to let him know you are coming."

"Alright," she paused before opening it. Looking at the two ninkin before her, "Pakkun, could you tell the boys 'thank you' for me. It really means a lot that you all would do all this for me. I know you wouldn't have if you weren't okay with this."

At this Pakkun looked as though he would blush if he could, "Sure thing Sakura-chan."

Nodding, she slipped her finger under the flap of the scroll and ripped open the small paper seal keeping it closed. Instantly, a series of pops sounded around her, but the resulting smoke made it hard to see. As the wind blew away the haze, she was startled to see some of the pack.

Her eyes swept over Bull, Shiba, Urushi and Bisuke. "Yo," Bisuke spoke up still looking a bit bashful from earlier.

"Yo," Sakura grinned back, "I'm guessing I should read this to see what is going on, huh?" a series of excited yips and tails wagging had her laughing softly as she unrolled the scroll. Whatever it was had the ninken amped up.

 _"The falls cut in half,_

 _I'll be waiting anxiously,_

 _Oh and tag, you're it."_

It was signed with his smiling face symbol, though this one was winking. Eyeing the ninkin who were practically vibrating in anticipation at this point, she grinned, "Up for a game of tag, boys?"

The answering yips startled several people passing by on the street. A few shaking their fists at the retreating blurs passing over the rooftops.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you liked it!**

 **Next part coming up soon!**

 **Reviews make Kakashi feel like stripping.**


	24. Field of Stars

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto. /sads**

* * *

 **Field of Stars**

* * *

Sakura held her breath from her hiding spot in the tree. Every muscle tensed like coiled springs ready to launch her into action at a moment's notice. With bated breath, she focused on every movement and sound from the forest around her, waiting for either the signal from her team or sign of her targets.

Their plan was a good one, and considering that she had never organized a team of ninken before, she still felt pretty confident that she had a chance. On the way to the falls where Naruto had trained his wind type chakra all those years ago, Bisuke had explained each of the ninken on her teams' skills. Urushi was the fasted and paired with Shiba's tracking, the two would flush out the ninken on Kakashi's team and work on distracting his ninken creating a chance for her to flush out Kakashi himself. Bull would stay at her side to barrel through any possible opposition and allow for her to have a clear path through to Kakashi when the time came. Bisuke would use his small size to sneak to the enemies flank and help to box them in and triangulate their location for Sakura and the rest of her team.

From the baying of several hounds in the distance, she knew that Urushi and Shiba had been engaged. Sakura's muscles tensed as she waited for Bisuke's signal howl that was supposed to follow. Beneath her, she knew Bull was braced and ready to charge at her side. For such a large dog, he hadn't made single sound since they had entered the woods.

When a howl did come, it made the hairs on her neck and arms stand. It wasn't Bisuke's. This howl came from behind.

Several things happened at once: a twig snapped on the forest floor behind her; Urushi and Shiba sprang out of the forest in front of her, both soaring passed her to a target behind; Bisuke landed on the branch beside her as she spun around with kunai raised; and Bull launched out of the bushes he was hiding in with a ferocious bark and snarl that would make most turn tail and run. When her eyes spotted Pakkun land upon a branch across from her, she realized that they had been bested.

Bisuke's hair stood on end as he crouched, "I'll distract Pakkun. You go for boss. He is a mile straight ahead. He has two clones on the way, so be ready." With that, the small dog blurred as he lunged forward towards the blur that had been Pakkun.

Now was as good a time as she was going to get. With her team engaging Kakashi's, she surged forward, springing into action. Ninken flew passed her. Several times she had to duck or pivot before changing direction as Kakashi's team would break through her team's defenses.

A flash of silver swept into her peripheral vision. She just managed to drop to the forest floor as the tree she was in was hit with a rather nasty fire jutsu. Recalling Bisuke's warnings, she quickly went for a kill shot sending a volley of kunai, some with explosive tags and some attached with wire to create grapples. The resulting poof of the clone release after it had been pinned to a tree that then exploded had her surging forward again. The blast blinded the pack that was behind her.

It was indiscriminate, however, and her team would be held back as well. Now, it was just Kakashi and her. A lightning fast kick to the stomach stopped her in her tracks, knocking the wind out of her. Ah, yes... her, Kakashi, and one more clone.

Bringing up her knee, she blocked what would've been another nasty kick to the stomach, only to have her punch blocked as the Kakashi clone grabbed her wrist. Countering with a left hook that was also blocked, she managed to hook her leg around his. Using his own grip upon her wrists against him, she jerked him forward as she rolled backwards. Her attempt to pin him failed as he used his larger size to steal the momentum of their roll. As they tumbled, he brought up his legs and with a good shove launched her over his head.

Pushing off a tree trunk that she very well could've smacked into spine first, she adjusted her gloves before running down the trunk. With her fist infused with chakra, she sent a flurry of hits, swipes, punches and jabs in a taijutsu attack. Her enhanced strength worked to turn the tide slightly as she began to move him from the offense to defense. When she spotted an opening she nearly grinned, sending a swift enhanced kick into the clone's abdomen in payback for the nasty kicks she had gotten, she was sure that that would be the end of clone number two. However, when the pop of smoke cleared, a log sat in the clone's place.

She cursed as she realized that he a pulled a substitution when she was distracted. It was a move Kakashi loved. One she should have been able to see through by now.

Her eyes searched for the closest branch to jump to. She needed to get off the ground before he could finish his move. As she jumped, the clone burst from the ground beneath her feet. She hadn't moved quickly enough. Mid jump there was no way to change her course either. Closing her eyes, she braced for the impact only to feel the wind whoosh passed her followed by a telltale pop.

Landing on the branch, she spun around to see Bull sitting where the clone had vanished. Grinning, she hopped back down scratching the large dog's head, "Thank you, Bull." With a good lick to her hand, the bulldog darted back into the woods behind her to keep Kakashi's team at bay.

Glancing ahead, she took a deep breath. The break in the trees ahead was where he was, she just knew it. She could sense the faintest wisps of his chakra. Either he wasn't really trying to hide it or he was getting impatient and letting some leak out to urge her along. Either way, she was a bit miffed that he wasn't taking her skill a bit more seriously. Either he didn't think her sensing abilities were good enough to pick up on his small traces causing him to feel as though he could afford to slack in cloaking or he felt she should've reached him by now and was trying to give her a hint to help her along. Sure, it was getting later and the sun had begun to go down, but his silly scavenger hunt had taken a few hours and then they had been at it for a while in the woods; and she had even left her house hours before the time stated on his note. And really, this all was his idea to begin with. This was supposed to be their first date, and if he thought she was going to let him underestimate her skills and get away with it just because she had developed feelings for him then he had another thing coming. Any nerves she had felt earlier about their date were gone and in their place  
was the urge to beat a reminder of her skills into his thick silver-haired skull.

The more she thought about it as she stomped forward through the undergrowth the more a frown tugged at her mouth. Did he really think so little of her skills even now? After all that they had been through together? Nearly bursting out of the foliage, she took a breath ready to verbally tear into him when the image before her had her breath leaving her in a whoosh.

"Sakura," her voice rolled off his tongue in a way that sent a pleasant thrill down her spine.

Her mouth opened but no sound came out. Green eyes swept across the set up before her in a bit of awe. A few paper lanterns hung from the low hanging limb of a large oak tree, the only tree present in the meadow. Beneath, a picnic laid out upon a shuriken quilt. The setting sun reflected off the waters of the waterfall creating a surreal feeling. It was like out of a dream or a painting. When her eyes landed back on his form, it was with none of the ire she had felt before.

"You made it just in time," he reached out his hand in a gesture for her to come to him, "I knew you'd start early, but I was afraid you'd miss the best part."

Dazed, she closed the gap between them, slipping her hand into his and following his lead as he brought her to the blanket, "Miss what?" The soft breeze played with the silver strands that were loose from his missing headband and left to play along his forehead. The effect had her more than a little distracted. He really was breathtaking. Here without his mask, his dimples and that tiny beauty mark visible as he merely smiled softly back at her, her heart was racing and her hand trembled in his slightly.

Sitting beside her, his thumb rubbed circles into her hand easing her tension as he answered her question with that smile that did crazy things to her breathing, "The light show, of course."

At her obvious confusion, she followed his gesture to the falls before them. The sunset reflected now off not only the waterfall, but the small lake at its base. The golds and pinks met with oranges and hues of violet, purples and then blues. As the myriad of colors shifted and danced across the water's surfaces, blending together and seemingly playing off each other, Sakura let her head lean to rest on his shoulder beside her.

Once the sun had flashed its last blazes of yellow and gold, she started to shift to face him before lips pressed to her hair stopped her, "Wait, it's about to start."

"What do you mean? There's more?" she asked genuinely curious. She couldn't imagine what would be more breathtaking than the show the sunset had played out upon the water. Just as she was about to ask what she was waiting for it happened.

One flicker. Then two. Followed by two more flickers, and then five to the right and more to the left. As though triggered by the first, slowly tiny lights filled the entire meadow. Mesmerized, Sakura stood slowly turning to take them all in. As the last of the sun light, turned to night, the field came alive with thousands of fireflies. Just as it had with the light of the sunset, the falls and lake reflected their tiny flickers of light as the bugs danced around. It was like being surrounded by stars.

Having spun full circle she came face to face with Kakashi now standing, watching her. The flickering star-like lights surrounded them made it all so dreamlike. The tender look he wore as he watched her had her stepping to stand before him. She saw his mouth quirk beneath his mask as he gave her his lopsided smile.

"Kakashi," her voice came out breathier than she intended. The setting was doing things to her. The butterflies in her stomach had fled and had been replaced with a steady burning warmth within her chest.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his dark grey eyes meeting hers. He looked so content and inviting; it was such a contrast to how she would have pictured him just several months before. The war had inflicted change upon everyone and everything. From the landscapes to history itself, she had no idea why she would not have thought that the man before her would have been changed by it all as well.

She had to pry her eyes from his as a wave of guilt washed over her. She never realized he had changed because she had been so wrapped up in her life to notice. After all the emotional trauma and ghosts of the pasts that had been shoved into his face, she hadn't even thought for a moment about how he was doing. Sure, she knew his health physically. But, never did she try to check on how he was coping. A lump rose in her throat as a wave of emotion swept over her.

His hand cupped her chin bringing her face back to his. His brows were bunched and the look of concern on his exposed face had her guilt and shame nearly suffocating her. Noticing her rapidly declining emotional state, Kakashi spoke, "Sakura, what's wrong?"

Her shaky breath had her cheeks flaming. She hated being like this in front of people. It made her feel weak, vulnerable. "You've changed," her statement had a bit of a bite to it from her frustration at herself. When his hand fell from her face, she quickly caught it between hers, "I just realized that I have been a terrible teammate and a worse friend."

His confused expression fell as he took a half-step back, "Friend?"

"Kami, that's not what I meant," she laughed dryly at herself, "None of this is coming out right." She glanced up at him through her lashes, "I think it is quite clear that we are more than friends." She closed the space between them again, placing his hand in her grasp upon her hip, she brought her hands up to caress his exposed face. "You have changed," she spoke softly as her fingertips explored, "After all that we have been through, it was inevitable. It just hit me that I wasn't there for you after all of it. I should've been there for you and I wasn't."

"Sakura," he moved to grasp one of her hands, placing a kiss to the palm, "We all had our ghosts to deal with."

"I know, but-" he cut her off with a soft kiss.

"No, buts. I didn't exactly hang around to see how you were handling things. In fact, I slacked in that department up until recently," he frowned. His own failings were not lost on him. "I believe we had the same failing in that regard."

Her answering frown showed how little she liked his assessment, "But you had so much on your plate after it all. With all the treaties and diplomatic missions, then becoming Hokage, I can hardly fault you for focusing on Naruto."

He gave her a stoic look, "I was actually including all the time since you were a genin in that statement." At her speechless look, he sighed pulling her back to the blanket for them to sit. "I always thought you were the strongest."

She gave him a flat glare.

He lifted his hands in a placating gesture, "No, really, I did. Maybe not always in the physical sense," he chuckled at her huff, "But in other ways, you were. Mentally, you were the cleverest of the group, even with Sasuke's genius. In many ways he was lacking in intelligence that you possessed naturally, for instance, your compassion. It shows a knowledge about human nature that Sasuke never had. And unlike Naruto, you didn't let your emotions cloud your ability to make judgement calls. They may not have always been the right choice to make, but you made a choice." He leaned back looking out at the dancing light bugs, "I always assumed that with everything that was thrown at us, you were the one who would pull out of it. I concerned myself more over the emotional wellbeing of the other two and, in effect, disregarded your own struggles."

She was silent as all he said processed. It was an answer to a question she had long sense stopped asking herself. She had always assumed answers to why he had been so distant from her as a teacher. Her being weak had always been the answer she ended up with, but never had it occurred to her that it may be because he thought she was strong enough to handle it.

When he spoke again, his voice made her jump, "Sometimes we forget that we are all just human, ne?"

She stared down at the hand that had moved to rub circles on hers. Her mouth curved upwards. He understood what she was trying to say. She had indeed forgotten that he was more than just Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan. Looking up to his face, her smile grew, "Only forward from here?"

The flicker that flashed through his eyes had her breath hitch. He wove the fingers of his free hand into her hair, cupping her head as he closed the space between them, "Only forward." He sealed it with a kiss.

The simple pressing of lips progressed and soon he had slanted his mouth over hers, his tongue asking entrance across her lips. When his tongue slid along hers, her uncontrolled moan had his grip on her tightening. In a flash, he had gathered her into his lap, both hands lost in her silken bubblegum strands as her own tiny hands clutched him closer.

Her heart hammered in her chest as his chest vibrated in a deep growl when her nails lightly scratched his scalp. This was the furthest they had gotten. It was reminiscent of their first kiss before her roaring fireplace until he had slowed their tempo back to tender brushes of lips. It had been perfect. But now, now the warmth that had been building in her chest when she was around him had dropped to a lower spot in her person.

A steadily growing need to feel more, to have him closer, had her grabbing one of his hands with her own. When she placed his large hand over her clothed breast, the feel of his warmth seeping through had her breaking their kiss with a moan. Her hips unconsciously swiveled, seeking to sate some of her growing urgency.

His answering hiss had her biting her lip, "Kuso," his breath puffed over her ear as his thumb brushed a hardened peak hidden beneath her top. The sensation had her hips swivel once again, the friction making them both gasp. His mouth found her neck as her hand roamed across his back. His palm continued to massage and caress her through her top as his tongue and teeth explored the expanse of her neck. Her breaths and moans were now peppered with whispered curses and exclamations of his name that was doing wicked things to his self-control. He was fast approaching a dangerous point. Not that he was an animal, but with all things Sakura filling his senses and grinding into him - well, he _was_ only human after all.

Prying his lips from her neck, he slid his hand from her breast to her lower back. His mouth was quickly made busy by her lips and tongue. He groaned as she sucked on his tongue lightly. Sweet kami, he was doomed, he mused to himself as he cupped her cheeks.

Breaking their kiss, both breathing heavily, he rested his forehead to hers breathing her in, "Kami, woman."

Sakura smirked, entirely pleased with how breathless and thoroughly ravished he looked. As he pulled her to his chest and laid back on the blanket, she was happy to snuggle into his side. She wasn't fazed by the way he had once again directed their passionate exchange to a more relaxed state. There was a time in her life when she would have been, when she would've been insecure with herself and questioned his reasoning. But, she wasn't that girl anymore. She was long past the insecurity of her youth. Getting married and having a daughter at 18 made her grow up fast. At 28, Sakura was every bit a woman. So, instead of taking offense, she found that his actions were admirable. He wasn't letting them move too fast. It was just another sign that he was taking them every bit as seriously as she was.

They watched the twinkling lights of the fireflies for a while as they lay content to simply be close. As shinobi, it was rare to find people you could completely let your guard down with. It was a welcome novelty to both.

Sakura's sigh had him glancing down at the head of pink resting on his arm. "This is all so..." her voice trailed off.

One of his hands tilted her face up to his, his gaze taking on a hint of nervousness, "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" she let out a slightly incredulous laugh, her hand coming to rest over his, "Kakashi, it is perfect. Today was perfect. You are perfect."

He cracked a smirk, "Well, thank you."

She giggled, "Oh shut up. Your ego is big enough as it is."

His tender smile returned as his thumb swiped under her eye, "Then why are your eyes watery?"

"Because," she took a slightly shaky breath, "It is perfect." At his confused look she snuggled into his side more, one of her legs intertwining with his, "No one has ever done something like this for me, put this much effort just for something as small as a date."

He paused in thought for a moment, his hand rubbing up and down her back, "Was it too much?" She would've laughed at the unusual amount of nerves in his voice, if it wasn't just a bit sad how unsure he was.

She propped herself up on her side to peer down at him. "No," she shook her head, "No, not at all." She glanced around at the dancing fireflies, a series of emotions washing over her, "Kakashi, I-" She struggled to find the words. Taking in his expression, as though he was waiting to hear if all this was really okay, she gave into all the feelings he gave her.

Leaning, she kissed his cheek. Pulling back to look in his eyes, if words failed her, she would show him what she was feeling. She leaned down to meet his lips.

His hands quickly wrapped around her pulling her flush against him as his mouth moved over hers. Her lips coaxed his; feeling, tasting his top lip and then his bottom. When her tongue brushed across his slightly fuller bottom lip, he groaned as he opened his mouth to her exploration. His hands swept across and along her back, caressing and claiming, before he rolled them. Braced on his side peering down at her now, his hand caressed her face and neck as she tugged at his hair pulling him closer.

"Please," she pleaded arching her back as his fingers brushed her collarbone again. He obliged instantly, his large hand cupping her mound of flesh as his mouth swallowed her moans.

The previous embers were quickly brought back to flames as their breaths became pants and whispered cursed and their explorations laced with urgency. He had almost moved to pulled her under him completely before he came to his senses, but Sakura was already slowing the kiss to pecks.

Relieved that she sensed the sudden shift and had taken action to calm the fires. He ended their now languid kiss with a series of pecks across her face. His forehead rested against hers as he closed his eyes, "Kami-sama, woman, what do you do to me?" He gave her several more pecks across her nose and cheeks before sitting up and helping her up as well, "Come, let's eat. I'm sure you've worked up an appetite." Her answering playful smack to his arm was met with his chuckles as he moved to get a basket that sat by the tree.

As he handed her the dish he had prepared, she saw that it was an impressive spread of homemade dishes. Looking to the plate he fixed her for their first course, an eggplant salad with some kind of dressing, she 'mmm'd' in surprise as the flavors hit her tongue.

He smiled at her reaction, "It's a miso ginger dressing. It is one of my mother's recipes."

Swallowing her second savory bite, "Kakashi, this is delicious, and you know how I feel about eggplant."

Chuckling he rubbed his neck as some of his nerves faded, "Yeah, I remember. I second guessed myself a few times after I had made it, but I'm glad you like it." His voice took on more amusement as she had finished her bowl by the time he finished his thought.

"I'd ask for the recipe if it wasn't a family one," she sighed happily sipping her water as he finished his salad off.

"I wouldn't mind," he said finally as he gathered their now empty salad bowls.

Sakura watched him unsure what to say to that. It was uncommon for such things to be shared between just anyone. Traditions were funny things, after all, and even close friends would rarely share such things. The blush he wore as he worked to make their second course plates showed how much admitting his willingness for such a suggestive exchange between himself and Sakura truly effected him.

Her own face flushed. Clearing her throat, she glanced around the meadow, "Where did the ninken go?"

"Hm?" he hummed as he worked, "They went back."

Biting her lip, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "After we are finished eating," she hesitated because she wasn't sure if her request would be ok and she didn't want to interfere with whatever he had planned. When he handed her the plate, he gave a lilt of a brow asking her to continue. "Well, if they'd want to, I mean, I wouldn't mind if you called them back." At his blank expression, she became more embarrassed, "I enjoyed spending time with them today."

He studied her for a moment before setting his plate aside and leaning forward to press a kiss to her startled mouth. Sitting back down, he picked up his plate as though nothing had happened, "I think they'd like that."

She blinked. As he began to eat, she realized the reddish tint across his nose was back. Her mouth quirked up as she realized that he was blushing once again. He really was such an odd, sweet man. She compliments him and he laughs it off with humor, but tell him she likes his dogs and suddenly he is bashful. Shaking off her musings, she dug into what would probably be the best homemade salmon and pickled plum relish that she'd ever had. As the first bite made her sigh happily, she earned another pleased smile from her very talented silver-haired beau.

* * *

Once they finished their meal, their heads were together at the center of the blanket as their bodies laid sprawled out in opposite directions. The ninken, having been called back, laid scattered around them.

Petting Bull with her barefoot as he laid at her feet, Sakura giggled as Kakashi let out a long sigh, "Doing alright?" she teased as she turned her head to kiss his cheek.

He groaned patting his stomach, "This must be what Naruto feels like after eating ramen."

At this Sakura laughed, causing Pakkun who had been laying on her stomach to hop down with a huff, "It's called a 'food coma', I believe. I could happily lay here all night."

"But it is getting so muggy," he complained, a sentiment complemented by the panting of the many dogs around them.

"Welcome to Konoha," she snarked even as she tugged at the collar of her top. It really was horribly humid. As he sat up suddenly causing all the dogs' heads to pop up, she tensed, "What is it?"

When he stood, she sat up while trying to sense where the threat must be. When he tugged at his shirt before tossing it over his shoulder, her face flushed as she took in his muscled back. She swallowed as his hands went to his belt, "Kakashi?" her voice came out a squeak.

The playful grin he shot her over his shoulder as his pants dropped did crazy things to her lady bits. "I'm going for a swim."

Her eyes raked over his form before coming back to his face, "Wait, what?"

He chuckled, "It's hot. The water is cool. No sense in letting it go to waste."

"But, but we're outside," she stammered as he kicked his pants of in a heap by his discarded shoes.

Standing in just his boxers with paw prints, he shrugged, "And?"

Blinking as he walked to the water's edge, she watched as he studied the water for a moment before backing away, " _And_ what if someone sees?"

He grinned as he stopped a ways away from the lake, "Then I say we give them something to look at." With a wink at her gaping expression, he ran to the water's edge before diving.

She sighed. The water really did look nice. Deciding to give _him_ something to look at - and to get back at him for catching her off guard, she made a show of removing every article of her clothing down to her boy shorts and matching sports bra. Ignoring the way she could feel his eyes on her, she walked over to the water and used chakra to walk across its surface to where he was wading in the water. She grinned as she stopped, kneeling before him, "How's the water?"

Catching the look in her eyes, his narrowed slightly. She was teasing him. _The little minx_ , he laughed internally, keeping his face in a soft smile. He ran his hands up the tops of her feet, along her ankles, to rest behind her calves. He saw her smirk falter at his touch as she struggled to look unaffected. Waiting until her eyes focused on his, he gave her his own smirk as his hands gripped her calves, "You tell me."

Sakura's eyes widened momentarily before she was being tugged. With a squeak, she lost her balance of chakra on the water's surface and plunged in with a splash.

Sputtering as she resurfaced, she wiped her hair out of her face before sending a glare to Kakashi. "It's war Hatake," she growled as she swiped her chakra laden hand at the water's surface. The resulting wave was a rather impressive white crested wall of water that fell over the chuckling nin's head. Smirking to herself, she waited for him to resurface so she could gloat to his smug face. However, his silverhead didn't reappear.

Green eyes began to search the surface of the lake looking for any sign of him. As the seconds slowly ticked by and turned to minutes, Sakura began to panic. She whirled to face the tree where the ninken still lay lounging, "Pakkun!"

"Ne, Sakura-chan, what is it? Why are you waking me from my beauty sleep?" the pug grunted without lifting his head.

"Kakashi!" her voice panicky as she continued to search across the lake's surface.

"Nani? What about him?" the Pug glanced up still unamused.

"I can't find him!" she snapped.

"You can't-" the Pug paused, then clearing his throat, he sighed, "I don't understand human courting games."

She was ready to scream in frustration when the pug's next words shocked a gasp from her.

"He is behind you under the water," the rest of his grumbling was lost on her as she dove under the water only to come face to face with a Kakashi who was about to sneak up on her.

As her eyes met his sheepish ones, any anger drained away, instead, she was flooded with relief. Giving his arm a tug, she pulled him to her as her hands went into his silver strands floating around his head. She felt him momentarily tense in shock when her mouth collided with his. When he began to respond, she realized that making out under water was actually pretty difficult.

Luckily, he had the same thought. Kakashi wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him, as he kicked his legs and brought them to the surface. Both gasped for air as they breached the surface. They were shallow enough now that he could stand, though Sakura would have to tread in the water. He kept his arms around her as she caught her breath resting her head on his shoulder. He grew a bit concerned. Her reaction wasn't what he had been expecting. Maybe he should mention that he had a jutsu to allow him to swim underwater for up to an hour. "Sakura," he began hesitantly. Her response was to give his chest a good smack. With an "Oomph", he met her glare.

Sakura's anger melted as he rubbed his neck and chuckled nervously. He was lucky he was so cute. Sighing she gave his ear a playful tug, "You scared me, you jerk."

"Gomen," he grinned as she pouted. She was cute when she was put out. He chuckled, "It is a good jutsu when having water fights, ne?"

She rolled her eyes, "I thought I drowned you." She pinched his arm lightly causing him to wince, "You stayed under too damn long."

He hugged her closer, kissing her diamond seal, "Let me make it up to you."

She grumbled under her breath, trying to keep up her act of being upset with him. It would be easier if he wasn't nuzzling her neck and brushing kisses over her forehead and cheeks. "How do you propose you do that?"

He pulled back flashing his eye creased smile, "I'll teach you the jutsu, of course."

A bubble of excitement shot through her, "Really!"

He chuckled as he walked towards the shallow water where she could stand before letting her go, "Hai, it's from ANBU. It allows us to approach islands or fortresses surrounded by water by letting the user have an air supply that lasts about an hour or so."

Her excitement was now full blown, "Show me the seals."

* * *

A poof of smoke cleared, revealing two still wet figures in front of a house. Kakashi brushed a strand of hair clinging to her cheek away. She stood clutching her now damp clothes, shivering slightly. "Sorry about the impromptu swim. I should've brought towels," he ran a hand through his own wet hair.

Sakura merely smiled up at him, "Don't apologize, Kakashi. I had a great time."

He grinned, "Yeah?" Blushing at how relieved his voice sounded, he spoke again, "I'm glad you liked it."

She stepped forward her hand resting on his clothed chest. He had put his clothes back on even though he was wet. The result was clinging material, not that she minded. "I did," she admitted, "Tonight was perfect." She rose to give him a light peck on his masked lips, "Thank you."

Arms wrapped around her, stopping her from pulling back. His hand rose to tug down his mask as he brought her face back to his own. The kiss was a tender and sweet caressing of lips as their mouths melded together.

While it was not the most passionate kiss they had shared that night, it left her completely breathless. Her heart skipping as he ended the kiss by lightly kissing her cheek and forehead before pulling away, "Good night, Sakura."

"Good night, Kakashi," she whispered as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving her in a daze with a goofy grin upon her face. _Good night, indeed_ , she mused grinning as she went inside from the best date she had ever had.

Ino was gonna flip shit when she told her about her romantic evening spent in the arms of the Copy Nin. Laughing to herself, Sakura fell back on her bed. She couldn't wait.

* * *

 **Ta Da!**

 **The final chapter of the first date. Hope you guys liked it and that it was all you hoped it would be!**  
 **In case you didn't figure it out. The two that won were: the spare with the ninken and a picnic, and the picnic and swim. The fireflies were added because the image popped in my head.**

 **And I promise to get Kakashi to strip if I hit reviews, so there you go. Fan service at its best. He he**


	25. After-Glow

**Disclaimer:** _*blows raspberry* *crosses arms* Oh fiiine. I don't own the Naruto universe or anything in or from it. Damn it._

* * *

 **After-glow**

* * *

The day after Sakura and Kakashi's first date. Sakura was back at work and back to being entirely swamped. The amount of paperwork that she was responsible for had doubled. Early that morning, Shizune had gone to meet up with Tsunade on a diplomatic mission to the Land of Flowers to see about getting access to some rare herbs that grew in those lands. Sakura already had a large work load being the Head Medic, but covering for the head of the Hospital meant meetings that went on endlessly and petty politics in board meetings. It was tedious and Sakura hated every second of it. So, on her lunch break, when there had been a team of ANBU that had come into the hospital with some nasty injuries and a possible case of poisoning, Sakura was all too happy to take up her role Head Medic once more and get the hell out of meetings. If her nurses were freaked out by how chipper this news made the pinkette, then they were smart enough to keep their mouths shut. After all, she wasn't called "Mini Tsunade" for no reason. Likewise, if the board needed her to continue on in that horrible excuse of a meeting, then they quietly rescheduled for the same reason.

This emergency surgery also meant that she would miss out on her and Kakashi's daily trip out to lunch; but, she had found a message from him on her desk at the end of her shift telling her that he couldn't make it today because Naruto had asked for him to come in for some diplomatic issue. So, in the end, her escape from board rooms had worked out, especially since the surgery had gone off without a hitch.

Successful it may have been, but it had also been a long ordeal. That mixed with all the added duties she had been piled with, and it was a very worn down and drained Sakura who strolled out of the Hospital at the end of her work day. Nearing the Academy, she could see that class had not been out for long. Students were still pouring out and the crowd of parents at the front of the building was still quite large. A head of white blonde paired with one of near black caught Sakura's attention.

"Hey Hinata, Ino, how's it going?" Sakura asked through a yawn as she made her way to stand with them.

"Hi Sakura," "Hey Forehead," each responded respectively.

"It's good to see you," Hinata smiled while eyeing her newly arrived friend's appearance, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, you look like shit," Ino added concerned.

"I'm not sick, if that's what you mean. It was a long day at the hospital is all," Sakura replied wearily as she looked over the children exiting the school. As an afterthought, she added, "And I stayed out later than I probably should have last night."

"Why were you out late last night?" Ino probed her eyes snapping to Sakura. The expression on her face made Sakura's eyes narrow.

Hinata looked thrilled, "Was last night the night Kakashi-sama had planned for your date?"

At this Ino nearly squealed in glee, "You had a date! An actual _real_ date!" She practically vibrated at the new gossip, smacking Sakura's arm with a suggestive grin, "You naughty girl! When the kiddie is away the mama will play, eh?"

Sakura rubbed a hand over her face even as she flushed, "Gods, Ino, you are such a perv sometimes." Ino only cackled while Hinata smiled.

"You did say you had a late night," Hinata's gentle voice saying such things still gave Sakura mental whiplash.

Sputtering, Sakura hid her face behind her hands, "You two are evil." Shooting glares at their answering laughter, Sakura sighed before a smile wriggled its way onto her face, "It _was_ pretty amazing."

"No. Flipping. Way," Ino eyed the faraway dreamy expression Sakura had suddenly taken on, "You got laid," she concluded with mouth agape as Hinata blushed ten shades of red fanning her face.

"What!" Sakura snapped out of it, "No! No I didn't! Kami, Ino, it was only our first date!"

Ino scoffed, "Yeah, but you've known the guy for what? Sixteen years?"

"I did **not** sleep with him," Sakura growled in embarrassment.

"Yet," Ino grinned. Sakura growled tugging at her hair in frustration as Ino cackled.

Hinata cleared her throat stopping the bickering of the two as she asked, "So what did he take you out to do?"

Sakura's irritation drained away as that dreamy smile returned, "A spar and a picnic."

Ino blinked, "You are kidding me. He took you to _spar_?" She spit out the word as though it had a bad taste, "Sakura, that's a terrible date."

"I think it suits him," Hinata stated before Sakura could jump on Ino.

"Pfft, yeah, he is a ninja. So is Sakura, a spar is training and who wants to do that when you could be cuddled up in a corner booth getting cozy over some champagne?" Ino snorted flicking her hair over her shoulder. She'd never admit it, but she was a bit pissed at Kakashi for Sakura. She felt Sakura deserved a guy who would treat her right after the Sasuke situation, and so far, Kakashi wasn't meeting her standards.

Sakura tsked a bit put off by Ino's dismissal, "First off, Ino, not everyone has the same ideas of what makes a good date and what doesn't."

"It's the quality time together that I really love," Hinata admitted with a dreamy sigh of her own earning amused smiles from her friends.

"Exactly," Sakura laughed before turning back to Ino, "Besides, it wasn't _just_ a spar and a picnic. It was very romantic."

A chorus of shouted, "Mom!" brought the three seasoned kunoichis' attention towards the front of the school. Spotting their children headed over in a group, Ino looked to Sakura, "You aren't getting off that easy. I want to hear every single detail. How does tomorrow for lunch sound? Think you can get out of your lunch date with Kakashi?" She grinned as Sakura flushed.

Grumbling, "I think I can manage," Sakura huffed under her breath as Hinata and Ino nodded in confirmation.

The group shared greetings and then finally parted ways, Sakura tousled Sarada's silken locks with a pleased grin at the cute huff she got in return, "So, bunny, how was your day at school?" Sakura asked in a near singsong voice using her term of endearment for her adorable little daughter.

Blush dusting her pale nose, Sarada tsked in a very Sasuke-like fashion before rolling her eyes, "It was fine, Mom."

"Aw, come on, you have to give me more than that," Sakura teased, "Let your poor old Mama live vicariously through you."

"Ugh, Mom, you're so weird sometimes," Sarada huffed even as she tried to hide her grin. The Uchiha heiress might not admit it, but she loved her Mom's playfulness. "We worked on kunai's today. It was boring," she added after a descent display of being put out by her mother.

"Oh?" Sakura grinned. She knew when Sarada said something was boring it was because she found that subject matter easy and didn't feel challenged enough. Her daughter was a genius, after all. "Well, boring it may be, but be sure you don't slack on your basics," Sakura advised.

"I know, Mama," the young Uchiha smiled slightly before asking, "So, what did you do last night while I was at Inojin's?"

"Hm?" Sakura flushed a bit caught off guard. It wasn't anything new. They always traded tales about their time spent apart, but Sakura didn't feel it was appropriate to disclose her date. Or her relationship with Kakashi at all. After all, Sarada was only 10 and, as far as she knew, her parents hadn't been divorced but for a several months. It was too much to spring on someone so young.

"Mom?"

The question brought Sakura back as she looked down at the curious gaze of her daughter, "Ah, gomen, bunny, I drifted off thinking about dinner. As for my night, I ran some errands around town and then did some training." It wasn't a full disclosure, but it wasn't exactly a lie either.

"Hn," Sarada nodded instantly disinterested in her mother's boring answer, "So, what's for dinner?"

* * *

The next day, Sakura sent a note out to Kakashi when she arrived at the Hospital for her shift. She let him know that she was planning to meet Ino and Hinata for lunch today, so they'd have to put off their usual meet up until her next shift. She was expecting a simple note in response, so when a puff of smoke burst in her office in the middle of her doing paperwork, several pens ended up sticking out of the wall like senbon.

"Kakashi!?" Sakura shrieked when she saw who was responsible for nearly giving her a heart attack.

He chuckled sheepishly, "Gomen, Sakura." He lifted a cup of her favorite coffee, "I got your message and I wanted to drop this by since I won't see you until you get off."

Her ire vanished as she stood and rounded the desk. Taking the offered cup, she breathed in its heavenly fumes before setting it on her office. "Gomen, Kakashi, I could use it," she smiled up at him as he stood over her in his all too familiar slouch.

His grin through his mask had her heart doing flips as he stepped closer. Her hand ghosted up his chest to rest behind his neck as his hand flitted to the edge of his mask. Tugging it down passed his chin, he pressed her to him fully as her knees gave out under the full effect of his crooked grin, "Mah, Sakura-chan, surely I earned more of a 'Thank you' than that."

She scoffed lightly as her fingers played with the hair at his neck, "Perv," her insult came out breathy and was cut off by her pulling him down to meet her lips. As his large hands encompassed the expanse of her back, Sakura sighed happily into their kiss feeling him smile beneath her lips, "Hush," she nipped at his bottom lip earning a light growl, "I missed you yesterday."

He didn't answer, but the way he held her closer, one hand getting lost in her hair and the other holding her against him as he deepened their kiss, spoke more than enough. He had missed her too.

When she backed into her desk, a startled yelp escaped her earning a deep chuckle from Kakashi. "Opps, don't want to mess up your paperwork," his voice didn't sound the least bit sorry as he moved her full coffee away from the edge of the desk. Once it was safely away, he picked her up sitting her on the edge of her desk chuckling at the second startled yelp he got out of her. "Shh," he said still chuckling, "Someone might hear and get the wrong idea."

Green eyes flashed as she pursed her lips with a glare lacking any real heat, "Wrong idea, huh?" She asked as he stepped between her legs dangling over the desks edge.

He mocked offense, hand to his chest, "Why Sakura, what do you take me for?"

She merely huffed smacking his arm lightly before spreading her legs just a bit more, her pencil skirt rising on her hips higher as she tugged him closer. She grinned as his humor was replaced by a darker look, his hands brushing up the newly exposed skin of her thighs at his sides, "Kakashi."

"Hm?" he hummed as his lips brushed her neck lightly.

"Shut up and kiss me," she demanded as she brought her leg up to wrap around his waist.

His hand gripped her thigh, "Yes, ma'am," his deep timbre rumbling through her as he proceeded to do just that.

It was a very flushed and thoroughly mussed Sakura who emerged for her lunch break two hours later. She never did get to her coffee.

* * *

Running her hands over her hair once more, Sakura walked into the café that Hinata and Ino were waiting for her for lunch. Hinata had spotted her and waved with a beaming smile over Ino's head, who then turned around to see who Hinata had been waving at. Upon seeing Sakura, Ino's all-to-knowing eyes seemed to catalog every inch of Sakura's person.

Consciously tugging her skirt down, Sakura walked up to the empty seat left for her, "Hey guys, sorry if I kept you waiting."

Hinata waved her off, "Don't be silly. We just got here ourselves."

Sakura smiled in relief, "Oh good." Picking up her menu, she felt eyes on her. She glanced over the top of her menu to meet Ino's gaze, quirking up her brow in question at her friends look.

Ino only grinned while pretending to pick up and read her own menu over. With an air of nonchalance, she began, "So~ see Kakashi today?"

Much to her chagrin, Sakura's face flushed, "He is my boyfriend. Of course I saw him today." Unfortunately, her matter-of-fact answer drew up more questions.

"Oh! Did you not work today?" Hinata asked in innocence, genuinely thinking she had been mistaken about Sakura's schedule.

Internally cursing as Ino practically glowed, Sakura bit her lip, "No, I did work today. But when he got my message about lunch, he thought he could bring me a coffee to make up for it." At the lack of response, Sakura looked up. Hinata had a silly dreamy look on her face and Ino was grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "What? He was just being sweet," she added in defense.

Hinata reached to pat her hand, "Its okay, Sakura. I remember when Naruto and I used to try and come up with any excuse to steal a moment for some secret kisses in Hokage Tower, or the board room, in the training grounds, or-"

"Ah!" Sakura slapped her hands over her ears, "La, la, la, la! That is more than I ever wanted to hear about Naruto. He is like my brother." She shuddered, "I feel dirty now."

Hinata laughed a bell-like laugh and Ino grinned, giggling, "Really, Sakura, what Hina is trying to say is that we get it."

Sakura blushed avoiding their eyes.

"We've all been new in love before," Hinata sighed dreamily once more.

"Whoa. Whoa, whoa. Nobody said anything about anyone being in love," Sakura shook her hands as though shaking the thought off. "We've only had one date, guys. Don't you think that's rushing it a bit?"

Ino fixed her with a look, "Is it?" At the lost look Sakura gave her, Ino sighed before closing her menu, "Alright, why don't we talk about the date? Start from the beginning."

Sakura breathed in relief. This was something she could talk about. Something lacking in the feelings of panic the previous topic had spurned in her. She'd think about why that was later, but for right now, she was going to relive the best date of her life.

"It started out with a poem he wrote me~"

It was now nearing the end of their lunch. Empty plates sat discarded as Hinata and Ino sat enraptured on the edge of their seats. Their attention solely focused on the tale Sakura was sharing, even the waitress and two older women nearby had been drawn into the story. Her audience sighed and gasped along with her retelling.

Now at the end of her story, Sakura sat leaning back into her seat. A faraway look on her face and a hand resting over her lips as she pulled up the memory, "And with that last kiss goodnight, he vanished." The chorus of sighs snapped her out of her daydream. Face flushing fully, she grumbled, "Would you guys stop that? It's embarrassing."

Ino tsked, "Oh please! How can we not!? I take back what I said before. Who knew Hatake was such a romantic?"

"It really is romantic," the waitress sighed as she eyed Sakura as though eyeing competition. Ino glared at her and asked for the check, sending the woman away.

Hinata grasped Sakura's hands, her face the picture of happiness, "Sakura, I am so happy for you. That Kakashi would go through so much trouble when he could have just taken you to a movie or out to eat says a lot. He is taking this very seriously."

Sakura sighed as she smiled, "I know he is. At times, it is a bit overwhelming. I just never thought I'd have something again, you know? And for it to happen within a year of Sasuke and I finally getting the divorce we had toyed around with for so long…" She shrugged.

"Saku-bae," Ino sighed using that teasing nickname Sakura hated, earning a giggle from Hinata and Sakura, "You shouldn't feel guilty about any of this."

"I know," Sakura agreed though her tone sounded a bit miserable, "Our split was mutual. I know I have nothing to feel guilty about, and I don't really towards Sasuke, that's not what this is about."

"Then what is it?" Hinata asked worried for her friend's chance at happiness.

"Sarada, I guess," Sakura admitted, "I guess I just worry about how it would look to her and to people in the village. The rumors were so crazy around our divorce and the way those parents reacted and Sarada overhearing. I just don't want a repeat. I don't want my daughter getting hurt and running off. It terrified me when Kakashi told me she hadn't showed up at school."

"Yeah, but who found her?" Ino asked before answering her rhetorical question, "Kakashi did. As soon as he heard, he went looking for her. And he found her."

"He might not be there next time," Sakura said, her head falling into her hands, "Sure, he found her and talked her down last time, but last time wasn't because of her Mom dating him."

At this, Ino sat back. To some extent, Sakura had a point; there was no telling how Sarada would react to the news of Sakura moving on. However, she truly felt that Sakura couldn't just not move on out of fear of how her daughter may or may not react. It just wasn't logical, nor was it healthy. And Ino could tell that Kakashi really seemed to care about Sakura. If his over-the-top date and the amount of thought he put into it was anything to go by, the Copy-nin was most likely already falling hard for Sakura, if he hadn't already fallen completely. But, Ino had no idea how to express all of this to her dearest friend, so she just huffed crossing her arms in aggravation at the situation.

A clearing throat caught the three thinking girls' attention. "If we may," one of the older women spoke up from the small table close to theirs, "Ida and I heard your story. We apologize for eavesdropping, but romantic tales are so rare these days."

Sakura blushed, "It's okay."

Ida spoke up, "Kumi and I were talking about your dilemma and I think we have some advice that might help you decide what to do."

Sakura perked up at this, "Please, do go ahead," she urged.

"Well, you see," Kumi said, "Ida and I both got divorced from our first husbands."

"Oh?" Ino said, no curious about their story.

"Kumi's husband was best friends with mine. We met then and became good friends, but as we each started having troubles in our marriages, we became distant. Both of us dealing with the turmoil, but not knowing our friend was in the same boat," Ida explained.

"My husband was a ninja. After the Third Shinobi War, he returned a different man. I knew what I was getting into when I married him. I loved him and tried to be there for him when he came back. However, he pushed me away," Kumi explained, "My once cheerful husband became sullen and quiet. When I found out I was with child, I thought that it would help to heal the wounds of our marriage. I stayed because of this hope. Instead, with our child's birth, he seemed to distance himself more. He avoided being near our daughter and I worried that perhaps he had not wanted her. When I finally confronted him, he told me his feelings about her. He felt he was damaged goods and that his sins would tarnish her pure daughter. After his confession, I tried everything to make our family work. I tried to get him to see how silly he was being. In the end, I could not make him see his error. He had pulled away from me, and then, having pulled away from our daughter, I finally left him."

"Oh, Kumi-san, what a sad story!" Hinata exclaimed tearfully.

Kumi merely smiled, "Ah, but that is not the end of my story. I found love once again." She looked to Sakura with a dreamy smile, "My Icharu. I too felt that I would never find love again, but I did. In Icharu, I found true love of the purest kind. He loves me and my daughter as though she was his own. In truth, he is the only father she has ever known. So don't lose hope."

Sakura smiled in thanks, "Thank you Kumi-san. But how did your daughter react to Icharu?"

"At first?" Kumi grinned in secret laughter, "At first, she was a little terror." She cackled as Sakura's face blanched, "But, her protest did not last long. Once she spent time with Icharu alone and with all of us together, they developed a bond. But, keep in mind that my little Mara did not know Icharu before being introduced to him through me. By then, Icharu and I were already nearly ready to get engaged. I feel that if she had known him already, her reaction at first would've been a bit different."

Sakura had relaxed at Kumi's further explanation, "Gomen, Kumi-san. Your story really has made me feel much better."

"You're very welcome, dearie," Kumi smiled, pleased.

Ino looked at Ira, "What about you? Did you find true love again?"

Ira grinned a wicked grin, "Oh did I ever." Clapping her hands together, Ira began theatrically, "Let me tell you young ladies about me and my Tasoke and how he taught me all about love and passion."

Needless to say, it was three very flushed and very embarrassed kunoichi who left the café a short while later.

"Ma, Ino, Hinata?" Sakura spoke, her voice trembling, "You think Ira-san is related to Anko?"

Ino shuddered as a particularly hardcore, x-rated detail resurfaced, "I think I don't want to think anymore."

"I think I need to go find Naruto," Hinata stated before blushing furiously at the agape expressions on Sakura and Ino's faces.

* * *

That evening when Sakura got off of work, Kakashi was left entirely confused as to why his girlfriend seemed incapable of meeting his gaze without flushing.

* * *

 _DONT LOOK AT ME!_

 _This chapter was not filler I swear._

 _No really. Hinata and Ino are Sakura's closest girlfriend's, along with Temari. You can't tell me how important it was for Saku to share her date with Kakashi with her friends. In her sensitive state, she needed the emotional support and mental pepping that her girl friend's could give her. Kumi and Ida were added bonuses. heh. Comedic relief. Plus, how much advice could Hinata and Ino give Sakura about dealing with divorce? Not a lot._

 _Any ways, poor Kakashi at the end. So confused. he he._

 _Working up to the main plot, which will be introduced next chapter! Tra la la._

 _There will be some kind of obstacle to overcome. This will not just be shitting rainbows and farted butterflies into the sunset. Nothing too dramatic though. I'm all about that realism, in case you couldn't tell._

 _Ok, I've been rambling long enough._

 _Comment and such please and thank you! XOXO_


	26. History

**Disclosure: I do not own Naruto. Sadly.**

* * *

 **History**

* * *

The days and weeks that followed Sakura and Kakashi had followed into a rhythm. On days she worked, they had lunch, or if something came up, they made time to see each other somehow. Days she was off work, she spent with Sarada, but if Sarada was at school or spent the night with friends, then Kakashi was there with another creative and subtly romantic date idea. Or not so subtle... really, Ino had been right to call Kakashi a romantic. Sakura was continually surprised at how thoughtful and sweet he could be. Even so, he still was a teasing, cheeky brat, but he was adorable so she lets him off.

Today was one of those days that Sakura was off and Sarada was at school, and so, Kakashi was lounging on one of the barstools in her kitchen.

Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, Sakura's face flushed, "What?" She asked a mix between flustered and agitated. He had been watching her flit around the kitchen for the past 10 minutes.

"What?" He grinned causing butterflies to take flight in her abdomen. He was stupidly handsome.

She purses her lips and shot him a glare, "You know what. You've been staring."

"Have I?" His even timber delivering his usual steady tone, but she knew better now.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She huffed trying in vane to get her blush under control.

"Really, Sakura-chan," his grin grew as her eyes narrowed, "I have no idea what you mean."

Another huff followed by barely coherent grumbling as Sakura forcefully finished putting dishes away. Warm arms wrapping around her caused her to jump, only to meet the hard body of her cheeky boyfriend.

Warm breath ghosted her shoulder and neck before sending shudders from her ear to her toes. "Sorry, koi, I can't help it," she shivered as his endearment washed over her. He spun her around cupping her face between his palms. Her eyes fluttered as his thumbs brushed her cheeks and then her lips, "You are so beautiful when you blush."

A wet rag plopped to the floor as Sakura pulled him down by his shirt. They both sighed as their lips melded together. His warm, velvet mouth imploring hers to dance with his.

There was something about Kakashi's kisses. There wasn't a burst of fireworks or a zing to zapped throughout her being. His kisses were something more, almost overwhelming. He made her feel as though he had encompassed her throughly. She could feel him like a warm embrace all over. Kakashi's kisses were enveloping. She could almost bet that his very chi reached out and touched her own each time they kissed. And when he deepens the kiss?

Sakura's hand wrapped around his neck as Kakashi pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, gently sucking. Her knees warbled but he was there to catch her. Carefully, he gathered her up before carrying her to the living room to place her feet softly on the rug before the fireplace. It was their favorite place to cuddle.

Her eyes fluttered open in confusion as he pull away from the kiss, but he rose a hand before she could speak to ask him why.

"Just a second." Reaching behind the armchair, he pulled out a small, elongated box. It's paper was a beautiful watercolor cherry tree with greys and pinks, and it's bow was the same shade as her hair.

Blinking, she hesitated before taking it from his out stretched hand. "Kakashi, what-?" She began.

He just quirked that crooked smile, "Open it."

Holding his gaze a second longer, she carefully unwrapped the paper laying it to the side. It was too pretty to rip. The box was black and seemed to be made of leather. It looked old. She raised confused eyes to his.

"Go ahead," he was smiling at her now -a soft, endearing smile.

With a slight creak, the box hinged open. Inside laid a bracelet with silver the palest she had seen. On the bracelet there was only a single decoration, a black obsidian bead carved with a symbol. It was beautiful. Her fingers brushed over the tiny carving.

"It was my mother's," his voice softer but closer as he took the empty box, setting it down on the coffee table before carefully removing the bracelet from her hands. He turned her wrist around and clasped the bracelet closed before raising the back of her hand to stop before his lips. "My father gave it to her on the day they were married," his lips pressed to her skin and her breath caught. The endearing smile was back as he showed her the carved bead, "That symbol is the seal of my clan."

Sakura's mouth slacked. She didn't know Kakashi had a clan. Her eyes fell back to the carving. It was two rings interlocking. It was a symbol she hadn't seen before.

His smile turned wistful, "Hai, you wouldn't have seen it. Like my father and his father before him, I am the only Hatake living." He finger brushed over it once more before grasping her hand.

They moved to sit at their spot on her plush rug, lounging on pillows before the fire. Sakura laid her head upon his chest. His arm wrapped around her to hold her close. Their free hands laid upon his chest, fingers woven as his thumb lightly brushed the back of her hand.

"The Hatake family has been reduced to a single individual for three generations, but we once were decently sized. Never as big or as powerful as the Uchiha or the Hyuga, we tended to keep a quieter profile," his even, rich tone sent Sakura along for the ride as he gave her a brief history of his bloodline. An old clan, the Hatake's were from a long line of noble and honor-bound warriors. First samurai many ages ago, they trace their origins to the Heian Period when the nations were not yet formed and were controlled by smaller ruling tribes of clans and families. As these tribes grew to encompass more and more people's, and their laws and ways of governing more centralized, the Hatake clan was hired warriors sent to subdue rebellions and protect villagers from invading armies. With the transition of these smaller governed states into the nations that are more like today's, so to did the Hatake clan change. Still sticking to their code of Busido, warrior code of honor, it is said that they were among the first families to unlock the powers of chi, and thus, the samurai clan became a ninja clan. There was some family legend about this gift being given by a forest god in the form of a white wolf once he fell in love with one of the clan elders daughters. Their offspring explaining the families signature white chakra and genetic disposition of silvery white haired men. Nonetheless, as the samurai held a public and courtly role, now -as ninja- they served from the shadows. When the birth of Konoha came, it was the Hatake that made up the first ANBU, other families quickly being inducted into the secretive organization. It was due to the intense fighting of the First Shinobi War that left Sakumo's father and then Sakumo as the sole living heir to an old family tradition of loyalty and service.

"And that leads to me, I guess," He finished as even as he began.

Sakura's eyes fell to the onyx bead of her new bracelet. With all that history, it felt heavier somehow. And infinitely more precious. "Kakashi, thank you for sharing your clan's history with me."

His arm tightened around her as his lips brushed the crown of her head.

Her eyes trained on the bracelet she felt a bit unworthy of such a gift, "This was your mother's?"

He hummed in assent catching onto her train of thought, "She would have wanted you to have it."

"But Kakashi," she sat up on her elbow to look at his face, "it is of your clan. Your very old and very noble clan. It is precious." She missed the quirking of his lips at that as she went on. "I'm not from any such family. My ancestors did not help to shape history or anything of the sort. We were merchants and farmers. Kakashi, this is practically a piece of history, of your history. You can't just give it away."

He was smiling at her fully now. With a light chuckle, he caught her gesturing hand with his own. Kissing the back of it as he did before. Intertwining their fingers once more, he rested them above his heart. "I'll ignore that jab at my being basically historical, and simply state that it is exactly where it belongs sitting on your wrist."

She puffed her cheeks out. She wasn't making a jab at their age difference, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

He only brushed his thumb across her knuckles, "I know."

"Kakashi, this should stay in your clan."

Something flickered in his eyes, "I know."

"Kakashi-"

His finger pressed to her lips, "It sits where it belongs, Sakura." His gaze held something heavy and warm and just out of her grasp before it lightened. His teasing quirk of a smile was back, "Besides, we've officially been dating for six months as of today. I wanted to give you something special."

At this, she blinked. Six months? Had it really been that long? She counted back through the days and the weeks, and sweet Kami-sama, it had been months.

His chuckling pulled her from her bewilderment, "Mah, Sakura-chan, aren't the girls supposed to keep track of every milestone with hearts and stickers in their calendars?"

She pinched his arm lightly at his teasing, "Are you saying you decorate yours with hearts, Kashi?"

He grinned, "Too girlie. Mine is strictly puppy stickers, obviously."

She scoffed cuddling her head back onto his chest. Her boyfriend was ridiculous. She eyed the bracelet once more. And he was also incredibly romantic.

Sitting up slightly once more, she traced over his scar lightly before turning his face down to meet hers, "Thank you, Kakashi. I love it."

His lips brushed hers, "I'm glad, koi."

Her heart fluttered at his endearment once more. There was something on the tip of her tongue. Something threatening to burst from her chest and bubble past her lips.

She leaned back to meet his steady gaze. Their face just far enough apart. "Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

She took a shakey breath.

"Yes, koi?" He murmured his warm grey eyes searching languidly over her face.

"I love you."

Grey eyes snapped to green. Those same intangible things flickered through his gaze once more, but now she had a name for them. As he leaned back down once more, his rich timber struck her in the heart, "As I am very much in love with you, Sakura-koi."

The kiss that followed left Sakura no doubt. Kakashi's kisses were the best because he puts all of his love for her into each one they shared.

* * *

 **And I'm back!**

 **I know this is not the longest thing. But I'm trying to get back into it and this felt right.**

 **Thank you my lovelies for sticking with me and for your kind words of encouragement. The past year as been, well, 2016, so there is that. Basically a shit fest. But, a new year. A new leaf. And a new chapter for our favorite pair.**

 **Now some info:**

 **The endearment "koi" or the suffix "-koi" added to a name is, as far as my research can tell, the highest form of endearment. It roughly equals "darling dearest" in English and is usually used by a husband to single his wife as his love. The use of "koi" is basically like saying "you, the love of my life" but in a much shorter and endearing term.**

 **The image of the chapter is the Hatake clan symbol. It is the clan symbol for the samurai family of Hatakeyama I in historical Japan in real life. I thought it would be a good fit since we are never given a symbol for Hatake from canon.**

 **The bracelet Kakashi gives Sakura is modeled after this one from Pandora (because it is a close as I could get to an example of what is in my head: search:** Pandora Multi Chain Single Clip Charm Bracelet **in google**

 **The bracelet's only decoration is a carved Onyx bead like shown here, remove spaces for . : pin it/** omMgmQ2

 **But of course, with the Hatake symbol carved instead.**

 **Enjoy!**


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